Against all the odds, Arsenal have won the women’s Champions League for the first time in 18 years.
For the past few seasons, this competition has been dominated by Barcelona, the Catalan giants having claimed the title in three of the last four campaigns.
But when it mattered most, Arsenal held their nerve. Entering the final as underdogs, the north London club defied expectations and emerged as heroes in the cauldron of Sporting Lisbon’s sweaty, sticky Jose Alvalade stadium.
Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius will take the headlines for scoring the single goal that edged the game, but this was a proper, team performance of grit and determination.
For years now Arsenal have slipped into nearly-women status, forced to watch from the sidelines as Emma Hayes’ Chelsea side knocked them off their perch at the pinnacle of the English women’s game.
Any hopes of exploiting a period of instability after last summer’s succession change in west London were quickly extinguished by Sonia Bompastor and her squad of superstars’ domination of the top-flight.
Stina Blackstenius was the hero as Arsenal Women won the Champions League in Lisbon
Blackstenius, who came on as a sub, is congratulated by her team-mates after scoring
Renee Slegers guided Arsenal Women to glory as they managed to secure European success
Arsenal meanwhile had suffered a disappointing start to this season under Jonas Eidevall, and a thumping in their opening group game in this competition led the Swedish manager to the door in October.
Up stepped little-known assistant manager Renee Slegers, and the turnaround began with a vengeance. With the gap in the title race ultimately proving too large to overcome, the focus moved to Europe, and here they have shone brighter than anyone could have ever predicted.
Three comeback wins burn bright in the memory, perhaps most notably against record eight-time Champions League champions Lyon in the semi-final. Equally does the way that Slegers and the team have managed to bring the fans along with them, flooding stadiums in Madrid and Lyon and, of course, north London with pride and fervour.
And nowhere was that more evident than in Lisbon this weekend, where Arsenal fans flooded the winding streets of Portugal’s capital to sing about their love for Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie McCabe, and, of course, Beth Mead.
Mead and her Lioness teammate Chloe Kelly have been in a battle for the starting spot on the right wing, and it was Kelly who emerged triumphant today as the first-choice pick.
The game started well with Arsenal having the better chances in the opening 30 minutes.
Caitlin Foord came close with the opportunity to head home but the angle proved too tight, and her decision to cross instead proved a wasted opportunity, with no one arriving to capitalise.
Moments later Kelly was found in space in the penalty area but, lacking her usual composure in high pressure circumstances such as these, skied her volley over the net.
Arsenal Women’s name is engraved on the trophy following their win against Barcelona
Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger celebates in jubilant scenes at the final whistle
The Arsenal players express their delight as their status as European champions is secured
Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona is left dejected following her team’s defeat against Arsenal
Arsenal’s Victoria Pelova celebrates after her team’s success against Barcelona
Chloe Kelly celebrates after Arsenal Women’s 1-0 victory against Barcelona
Goalscoring hero Blackstenius poses with her player of the match trophy after the game
Then, 23 minutes in, Frida Maanum tore down the wing and drove the ball into the box, and Barcelona defender Irene Paredes knocked it into her own net. The Arsenal fans erupted but VAR checked and found Maanum offside, and the referee struck off the Gunners’ lead.
Maanum was on a roll, and she had a shot from distance saved by Spain’s No 1 Cata Coll fingertips. Kelly took the corner kick to follow up and found Kim Little on the edge of the area, but the Arsenal captain was unable to keep her shot down.
Barcelona soaked up the pressure and the game started to grow cagey as the break neared, and the Spanish champions came out stronger in the second half.
Claudia Pina – Barca’s hero from the Chelsea 8-2 semi-final drubbing – tried to clip it past Van Domselaar, her shot taking a deflection off Emily Fox and dipping on to the crossbar and eventually away. The Arsenal keeper, who had remained rooted to the spot, breathed a visible sigh of relief, while Kelly told her teammates to calm down.
Kelly was shown a yellow card in the 67th minute for a foul on Alexia Putellas, and Slegers opted to withdraw the winger, replacing her with her Lionesses teammate Mead. Blackstenius was also introduced to the fray.
Soon after, Blackstenius picked up the ball from deep and drove towards the Barca penalty area, but was unable to find the precision to reach beyond the extended leg of Coll.
Then, the breakthrough finally came, and it came from a combination of the two substitutes. Mead, picking up the ball from the edge of the penalty area, threaded it through the Barca back line and to Blackstenius, who coolly slotted home.
The Arsenal fans erupted, and the Gunners had a precious lead to hang on to with just over 15 minutes of normal time to play. They embraced the fouls, took time on their kicks, and sent the ball skyward at every opportunity.
The final whistle blew after seven minutes of added time and the Gunners threw themselves onto the pitched, relieved that one stretching, 18-year-long record, had finally come to an end.
