Stina Blackstenius’s goal gives Arsenal the title against Barcelona

As a striker, Stina Blackstenius has often been allowed to live with the epithet « Super Sub ». So it was early in her national team career when others more experienced went ahead in the starting eleven. And so it has now become again in Arsenal where during the season instead of starting to get in from the bench – and often stood for important goals.

Perhaps the most important thing in her career now came in the 74th match minute at José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon and means that it is Arsenal who wins the Champions League 2025.

It was unexpected. In advance, most of it spoke for Barcelona to take home the title again. The Catalan major club has dominated European football in recent years, been in the final six times in seven years and took home the title four times of them. Now they were aiming for a third straight final victory, which would mean a feat that only Lyon succeeded before.

Arsenal, on the other hand, does not have managed to get to a final since 2007.

« Finals are always unpredictable, » said Barcelona’s team captain Alexia Putellas at the press conference the day before the match, and probably she would get right.

The bang came in the most supported-heavy final in the women’s Champions League history.

Lisbon hosted the Champions League final also eleven years ago, 2014. But then the match between Tyresö and Wolfsburg was adapted to the suburb of Belém, the organizer felt compelled to attract a concert that would follow the match, and just over 11,000 people showed up.

This time the football party was present in the entire Portuguese capital.

The match was played at José Alvalade Stadium, residence for the Lisbon Club Sporting, with room for around 50,000 spectators. A massive Damn Zone Had been built on Lisbon’s largest square at the edge of the Tajo river. In the western parts of the center, thousands of Arsenal supporters began to party at the pubs as early as the morning while the temperature crawled up against high summer heat.

But they were still in the shadow of the masses that had crossed the Iberian peninsula by bus overnight. Up to 20,000 Barcelona fans had made the trip and the red-blue-striped sweaters appeared everywhere in Lisbon. However, they would be disappointed home.

Fridolina Rolfö was there With as a left back in Barcelona’s starting elf, the position she mostly played on since she joined the club four years ago. She was the only blue -yellow element from the start. Rosa Kafaji sat on the stand with a damaged foot. Stina Blackstenius, Lina Hurtig, Amanda Ilestedt was all adapted to the bench. For the two latter was the last match with Arsenal as both leave the club after the season. Blackstenius would later be replaced – and decide the final.

Although triple-tithe hunting Barcelona started best, they gradually did not really manage to deal with the opponents’ press play. The times it burned for the reigning champion team it was thanks to individual performance. Like when Caroline Graham Hansen drove into the track from her right, or Aitana Bonmatí trapped towards the penalty area.

Arsenal stood up well and looked for a short time for a while to have taken the lead, when Barcelona’s Irene Paredes bumped the ball into his own goal. But after a quick check in the VAR room, Frida Maanum, who beat the post, was judged to have been offside.

It was Rolfö who was behind Barcelona’s hottest chance in the first half when she came flying in the 38th minute and dotted the ball with her head, but the nod went outside. It was still aimless break.

In the second half Barcelona switched up, pressed by the feeling that the title was slipping them out of their hands. Ona Batlle, Bonmatí, Ewa Pajor and Claudia Pina – All Barça’s strikers sent finishes to goals, and Arsenal could thank the bar and goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar for none of them entering.

The temperature never dropped below 27 degrees, and many of the players struggled with cramps.

Stina Blackstenius was replaced for Arsenal when it was clear that both teams needed to get healthy legs. A short quarter later, she scored the goal that gave Barcelona an unwelcome cold shower. She received the ball to the right in the penalty area and put it safely next to the far post.

Despite a massive pressure towards the end, Barcelona failed to get any goal. The match ended 1-0 to Arsenal which showed that the superior Barcelona is not unbeatable after all.