Stina Blackstenius scored twice for Arsenal as they defeated Leicester City 4-1 in the Women’s Super League.
And the pundits on the Sky Sports television coverage of the match had plenty of praise for the Sweden international – who scored the winner in May’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final, but has come in for some criticism when it comes to her goalscoring accuracy.
“They probably play more [direct] balls like that when Stina does play in the 9,” said former Scotland international Rachel Corsie.
“She is a willing runner – I know playing against her, she’ll chase down anything. Some people are quite critical of her, but she creates that [goal] by making those runs.”
And Nikita Parris, currently with London City Lionesses, couldn’t help but admire Blackstenius’s goal haul.
Watching the second effort – Arsenal’s fourth of the afternoon – Parris observed: “This is what she’s great at, being on the back shoulder, running the back line.
“She causes so many problems with her pace, and at times she is questioned about her finishing in and around the box, but today she showed two goals and some quality in the final third.”
Stina Blackstenius: Her career with Arsenal
Arsenal signed Blackstenius from BK Hacken in 2022, having scored 25 goals in 40 games for them, finishing the 2021 season as top scorer in the Swedish league.
Then-head coach Jonas Eidevall welcomed her with the words: “She is a world-class talent who will add even more quality to our team. Her game is well-suited to the style we are implementing here at Arsenal, and I’m confident that she will take her game to an even higher level here with us.”
In the last two seasons, she has been used primarily as an impact substitute, with Alessia Russo the first-choice striker for the Gunners.
