How Did Arsenal Overcome Barcelona to Win the Women’s Champions League?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Arsenal women defeated Barcelona 1-0 to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
- Stina Blackstenius scored the decisive goal in the final.
- This victory adds to Arsenal's impressive history in women's football.
- The team overcame significant challenges throughout the tournament.
- Renee Slegers became the first Dutch manager to win this prestigious title.
Lisbon, May 25 (NationPress) The Arsenal women's team has triumphed in the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League by defeating Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon, with Stina Blackstenius scoring the decisive goal.
Having previously secured their status as the only English team to win the European crown in 2007, Arsenal women have now added another prestigious title to their remarkable legacy, which includes a record 15 league championships, 14 FA Cups, and seven League Cups.
This victory in Portugal marks the culmination of an extraordinary journey for the squad, which began in the first qualifying round last September. After overcoming Hacken and Rangers to qualify for the group stages, Arsenal finished at the top of their group, surpassing Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Valarenga to reach the knockout rounds, even after Renee Slegers took over as manager from Jonas Eidevall in October.
The team then followed a thrilling path to the final, coming back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to win 3-0 against Real Madrid at Emirates Stadium in the quarter-finals, before decisively defeating Lyon 4-1 on their home turf, securing a 5-3 aggregate victory to claim their spot in the Lisbon final.
In a clash against the three-time champions and reigning titleholders, Blackstenius entered the game from the bench to score the 74th-minute winner, making history as the first English club to win eight matches in a single edition of the tournament.
Slegers, a former academy player who led the team to five consecutive group stage victories, becomes the first Dutch manager to clinch the Women’s Champions League title and the third overall to achieve this in either the men's or women's competitions, following in the footsteps of Louis Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard.