Arsenal beat Barcelona in the final and win their second European title

Not favorites, the English won their first C1 since 2007 thanks to a goal from Swede Stina Blackstenius on Saturday.

Back on the roof of Europe, 18 years later. Arsenal players won the second Champions League of their history by beating the odds in the final against FC Barcelona, ​​Saturday May 24, under the sun at the José Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon. A quarter of an hour from time, Stina Blackstenius unlocked a hitherto balanced encounter with a cross shot following a corner (74th, 1-0).

A fair reward for the Londoners, who bravely played their luck against the Catalan favorite. More enterprising in the first period, they did not give up when Irene Paredes’ gag goal from an own-camp tackle was refused for offside (22nd). Frida Maanum’s distant attempt boxed by Cata Coll also gave the Barcelona women a first thrill (28th).

The latter certainly rebalanced the debates after returning from the locker room, finally managing to maintain the pressure on the opposing cage like a crossbar hit by Claudia Pina (49th) and a powerful strike from the double Golden Ball Aitana Bonmati repelled by Daphne van Domselaar (60th). But the entry of Stina Blackstenius, decisive two minutes after a failed face-to-face against Cata Coll on the counter (72nd), changed the course of the match for the Gunners.

The Swedish striker could even have doubled the lead at the end of the game to complete the fairy tale of her Dutch coach, Renée Slegers, former interim confirmed as number one in January after the departure of Jonas Eidevall. What does it matter since this score is enough for immense happiness Lyon scorers in the semi-finals (1-2, 4-1)able this time to resist the return of the Spanish stars who had not remained silent in a match since their last defeat, against Manchester City at the beginning of October (0-2).

Second, far behind Chelsea in the league, they also deprive the Catalans of a fourth coronation in five editions with this success and confirm the advent of English women’s football, including at club level.