The pitch at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano is deemed an elite surface by Uefa, however, it deteriorated badly before Tuesday’s game following heavy rainfall.
Around five to 10mm of rain was forecast to fall in Madrid this week, as Spain is hit by storms., external
There was a pitch inspection before kick-off by the refereeing team and it was deemed playable, however, once the game started it began to cut up badly.
It made free-flowing football near impossible for both Arsenal and Real Madrid, with both sets of players covered in mud by full-time.
Former England international Izzy Christiansen said Uefa should have moved the tie away from Madrid, given the unsuitable conditions and weather warnings.
“I think it’s really, really poor that players are put at welfare and injury risk”, she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Real Madrid have lots of money as a club but they can’t control the weather. Uefa should have stepped in and flipped the tie or something like that.”
It was the second such incident in a major women’s match in a matter of days, following Chelsea’s 2-1 League Cup final win over Manchester City.
The final does not have a permanent home, unlike the men’s game which is always played at Wembley, and took place last year at Molineux.
The host club is required to ensure the pitch is in good condition, with venues identified during the winter months to have the resources to deliver a high standard.
No concerns were flagged by match officials during their pre-match checks at Pride Park, however, large patches of mud and sand were visible by the latter stages of the game.
Similarly, Real Madrid’s women have never played a match at Santiago Bernabeu – home of the men’s team – and been able to play on the higher-quality pitch.
“This is quite synonymous with a lot I hear of Real Madrid Women,” Guardian women’s football reporter Tom Garry told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“A lot of it has gone under the radar. They have never played a game at the Bernabeu and there was no goalline technology last night. They just seem to be a club that do the bare minimum for women’s football wherever they can get away with it.”
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