- LISBON — Arsenal
women have won the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League after beating
Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon thanks to Stina Blackstenius' goal.
-
- Having previously been the only English side to become
European champions courtesy of their 2007 success, Arsenal women have now added
another continental title to their illustrious history, which has seen them
lift a record 15 league titles, 14 FA Cups and seven League Cups.
-
- The victory in Portugal caps a remarkable campaign for the
side, who entered the tournament in the first qualifying round back in
September. After beating Hacken and Rangers to reach the group stages, Arsenal
finished ahead of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Valarenga to reach the knockout
stages, despite Renee Slegers replacing Jonas Eidevall as manager back in
October.
Also read: Sunderland promoted to Premier League with dramatic late win
-
- They then embarked on a dramatic route to the final,
overturning a 2-0 first leg loss to beat Real Madrid 3-0 at Emirates Stadium in
the quarter-finals, and then hammering Lyon 4-1 on their own patch to advance
5-3 on aggregate to book their place in the Lisbon showpiece.
-
- Arsenal women beat the three-time winners and previous
holders, with Blackstenius coming off the bench to net a 74th-minute winner and
secure the silverware, becoming the first English team to win eight matches in
a single edition of the competition.
-
- Slegers, who is a former academy product and won her first
five group games to ensure they made it into the knockouts, has become the first
Dutch manager to win the Women’s Champions League, and third overall to win
either the men’s or women’s competition after Louis Van Gaal and Frank
Rijkaard.