Arsenal team plane bursts into flames

The Arsenal Women FC contingent endured a terrifying ordeal as they were trying to make their way back to London after the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash against VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. Their plane burst into flames on the runway after a bird got sucked into the engine as they were taking off.

Photos and videos emerged from the harrowing scenes on the runway where flames could be seen shooting out of the engine of the Boeing 737 that was carrying the squad. The incident took place at the Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport in Germany on Sunday, just hours after Arsenal Women fought hard to claw back a 2-2 draw against Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Stadium.

Luckily, the engine blow up took place before the plane was fully in flight and the skilled pilots were able to safely pull the plane back into the terminal where all the passengers were safely evacuated. No one was reported hurt in the incident.

The Maltese airline plane made a loud bang just before taking off on Sunday, reports German newspaper BILD. An airport official confirmed that the cause of the mishap was indeed a bird strike, and that no one was injured in the unfortunate event.

The Arsenal contingent was forced to stay in Germany for another night, where they were billeted at a hotel before successfully flying back to London on Monday. They had to take a replacement aircraft after their original plane went in for repairs after the fire.

The Arsenal Women's team will need to shake off the nerves from the experience as they prepare to host Wolfsburg on May 1 for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash. The 2-2 draw means they still have everything to play for and will also have home advantage as they attempt to make it to the final.

The first leg had the makings of a disaster after Wolfsburg took an early two-goal advantage thanks to strikes from Ewa Pajor and Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir within the opening 25 minutes. However, despite being 2-0 down, Arsenal fought on bravely and second-half goals from Rafaelle Souza and Stina Blackstenius created a comeback draw.

Arsenal will be hoping to have all of their key players fit for the return leg at home, with Kim Little and Leah Williamson having been forced to miss the first leg due to injuries. The London based side will want to come with all guns blazing when they try to reach their first final on the European stage since 2007.

Meanwhile, on the men's side, Mikel Arteta's squad is gearing up to face defending Premier League champions Manchester City in what could be the title decider. Arsenal enjoyed a comfortable lead for most of the season, but they have collapsed in recent weeks.

They currently have a five-point advantage against second-placed City, but the latter have two games in hand. The Gunners drew their last three league games, dropping six crucial points. This makes the game against City a must-win if they want to keep the momentum on their side in the final stretch of the season.

Pep Guardiola's side has been on fire in recent weeks, catching up to Arsenal in the Premier League and making it into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. However, the manager has admitted that fatigue is catching up to his players, and Arsenal will be hoping to use this to their advantage.

Nevertheless, they can't risk dropping any more points in any of their upcoming league matches if they wish to put a dent on City's confidence. On the other hand, they also need a victory against the defending champions in order to get themselves out of the slump that has seen them settling for successive draws.