Arsenal defeat Barcelona to win Women’s Champions League

Arsenal defeated Barcelona 1-0 to win the Women’s Champions League final in Lisbon on Saturday.

Stina Blackstenius’ second-half strike secured the victory for Arsenal.

Pere Romeu’s side were heavy favourites heading into the game, having won three of the last four European titles.

But Arsenal have been the comeback queens in this season’s competition, already knocking out record title-winners Lyon in the semi-finals.

Since then though, the Gunners had shipped 13 goals in their last three WSL games of the season, but they kept a clean sheet when it mattered with Daphne van Domselaar back in goal to lift the trophy.

They remain the only English side to have won the Women’s Champions League, and the first to do so since their maiden title in 2007.

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While the entire team will go down in the club’s history, it was Blackstenius’ 75th-minute strike that led the Gunners to glory. She picked up a reverse pass from fellow substitute Beth Mead and finished across goal.

It was the second time Arsenal had the ball in the net, but the first was ruled out for offside.

Irene Paredes turned a Frida Maanum cross into her own net, but VAR checked the goal and found an offside in the build-up.

The Gunners will now go directly into the next season’s league phase alongside Chelsea, saving them from a qualifying round that would have been played by virtue of their second-placed WSL finish.

The Star