Arsenal have been crowned Queens of Europe after a tense victory over holders Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League final. Stina Blackstenius netted the decisive goal midway through the second half, with Arsenal having now won the competition for the second time in the club’s history.
Barcelona, who have triumphed in this competition across three of the last four seasons, entered the contest as heavy favourites. The dominant force in the women’s game, Barcelona won all but one of their matches en route to the showpiece event in Lisbon, with their only defeat coming against Women’s Super League side Manchester City in their opening group game.
However, it was Arsenal, marshalled by Lionesses hero Leah Williamson, who prevailed against the odds, putting their bodies on the line to end an 18-year wait to win the Champions League again. The north Londoners, who first won the competition in 2007, remain the only English team to have won the biggest prize in European football.
But it’s the journey this Arsenal side have been on that makes the victory taste even sweeter. Jonas Eidevall had resigned in the autumn following a disappointing start to the campaign, with assistant Renee Slegers taking over, initially as interim before being given the reins on a permanent basis in January.
Williamson, who captained England to European Championship success in 2022, told DAZN: “I’m sorry, I don’t have words… I joined this football club and they were winners. They’d won everything. All I ever wanted to do was represent the badge in the same way and today we just went another big step towards that.”
The Arsenal skipper concluded: “I play football to make people happy, not to make people unhappy. Today we made a bunch of people happy.”
England team-mate Alessia Russo, who ditched Manchester United for Arsenal in 2023, told TNT Sports: “We worked so hard and it just feels amazing. Just amazing. We had to suffer a lot, they are a top side. We knew coming into the game we would have to suffer and there would be moments where we wouldn’t have the ball.
“We had to be content and happy with not having the ball knowing our moment would come. Then when our game changers came on, Stina, Beth, Lina, Lotte, everyone, our squad just wanted it so badly. I can’t say enough.”
It was a result that stirred the emotions, both among the Arsenal players and the punditry team. Speaking as part of the TNT Sports coverage, former Arsenal ace Jen Beattie revealed she was struggling to contain herself, saying: “I’m so incredibly proud of every single player that has come and executed this game.
“What scenes. I’m emotional speaking about it but beyond proud of everyone involved and I think the whole of England is beyond proud of them.”