Beth Mead supplied the pass, and Stina Blackstenius the finish. The two had only been on the pitch seven minutes when they combined following a corner to score the decisive goal as Arsenal upset Barcelona 1-0 to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon. Barcelona, the three-time winners who were aiming for a hat-trick of titles, had more than two-thirds of the possession and as many as 20 shots on goal, but with Daphne van Domselaar, the goalkeeper, making a couple of clutch stops and Leah Williamson marshalling the defence superbly, Arsenal held on to lift the trophy for the first time since 2007.
Barcelona had piled on the pressure in the second half, with wave after wave of attacks. In their ranks, they had Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati, who have won the Ballon d’Or Feminin twice each in the last four years. Salma Paralluelo came on as a second-half substitute, but it was the changes made by Renee Slegers, Arsenal’s coach, that made the difference.
After several phases, the ball found its way to Mead, whose clever through ball was perfectly timed, with Blackstenius just onside. She controlled the ball and supplied a precise low finish past Cata Coll.
Chelsea have dominated English women’s football in recent seasons without ever being able to win the Champions League. Barcelona destroyed them in both legs of the semi-final, but in Slegers – initially seen as a stopgap appointment – they came up against a coach whose team was much harder to break down. Arsenal’s men not never have lifted European football’s ultimate prize, but for the women, it was double delight on Saturday.
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