Arsenal Women have won the Champions League after a sensational 1-0 victory over three-time winners Barcelona in Lisbon.
Arsenal surprisingly had the better of the first half against a team of Barcelona superstars, including back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, Caroline Graham Hansen and Ewa Pajor.
This is the same Barcelona side that dismantled an unbeaten Chelsea team in the Champions League semi-finals.
The Blues had won the Women’s Super League without losing a game, yet were thrashed 8–2 on aggregate – four years after Barcelona smashed Emma Hayes’ side in the final.
Runners-up in 2019 and 2022, the Blaugranes were chasing their third consecutive Champions League title and their fourth in five years.
Arsenal’s only triumph heading into Saturday’s final in Lisbon came back in 2007.
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Alex Scott’s 91st-minute goal in the first leg was the difference against Swedish outfit Umea – with fewer than 10,000 fans attending across both legs. Last year’s final in Bilbao attracted nearly 51,000, a figure that even topped the attendance for this season’s Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham.
Despite some scary moments at the back, Arsenal looked confident and composed in the first half – a nervy wreck only at times, as they tried to play out under Barcelona’s relentless press.
The Gunners thought they had taken the lead when Irene Paredes put through her own net, but it was ruled out by VAR for an offside against Frida Maanum in the build-up.
As mentioned, Arsenal were not just holding their own against arguably the greatest women’s team ever – they were edging them.
But the momentum shifted after the break, with Putellas and Bonmati beginning to dictate the play.
A Claudia Pina shot deflected off Emily Fox and dipped dangerously over a static Daphne van Domselaar, but it struck the crossbar.
It was all Barcelona from that point, with Van Domselaar producing several key saves to keep the Spanish champions at bay.
Arsenal had a golden chance to take the lead against the run of play in the 72nd minute, when Stina Blackstenius ran through on goal, opting to shoot rather than square it to a team-mate.
Barcelona went straight up the other end and came close to going ahead from a Pajor header.
Minutes later, the Women’s Super League side took the lead. Barcelona failed to clear their lines from an Arsenal corner, and Beth Mead produced an incredible reverse pass to deceive the backline. Blackstenius, making instant amends for her earlier miss, provided a priceless finish across goal.
Brought on together just six minutes earlier, Arsenal were inspired by the changes made by Renee Slegers.
Blackstenius should have doubled her tally to put the game to bed in the 90th minute, but her lob was poorly executed.
Barcelona piled on the pressure during seven minutes of injury time, but Arsenal stood firm to claim their second Champions League title – their first in 18 years.
The Gunners had to navigate three qualifying rounds just to reach the group stage, beating Rangers 6-0, Rosenborg 1-0, and Hacken 4-1 on aggregate.
Just as the men’s team did, they beat Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, inspired by a 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.
Lyon were then beaten 5-3 on aggregate, thanks to an incredible 4-1 win in France after losing the first leg 2-1 at home.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have seen their quadruple dreams ended by the second-best women’s team in England.
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