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Correspondent
LISBON, Portugal -- Arsenal pulled off a shock 1-0 victory over title-holders Barcelona in the UEFA Women's Champions League final to lift their first European trophy in 18 years.
Substitute Stina Blackstenius netted the only goal of the evening in the 74th minute after a reworked cross fell to Beth Mead, who threaded it through Barcelona's defense for the Swedish striker. The Gunners struggled to take their chances -- they had the ball in the back of the net early after an Irene Paredes own-goal, however Frida Maanum was adjudged offside in the build-up.
Arsenal last won the Champions League in 2007, which was also the last time they featured in the final. With this win, Arsenal become the first English team to win multiple Champions League titles.
Barcelona -- who were uncharacteristically poor in the final third -- were aiming for a third consecutive trophy after defeating Lyon and Wolfsburg in the past two seasons. The defeat also marked the end of their quadruple hopes. -- Emily Keogh
Arsenal's 18-year wait for a European trophy is finally over
Arsenal's agonizing 18-year wait to reach the Champions League final came to the best possible end in Lisbon, lifting the coveted Champions League trophy. It was only their second appearance in the final, the longest time between final appearances in the history of the competition.
But despite the almost two decades absent, Arsenal triumphed against the ranked best team in Europe, foiling their attempt at three consecutive continental titles.
The last time Arsenal won the competition was in 2006-07 season, while it was still known as the UEFA Women's Cup. They also became quadruple winners that season, the first and only in England's history.
Arsenal did not walk away with domestic trophies this season -- they were all won by Chelsea -- making the European triumph even more of a shock. Arsenal were undeniably underdogs heading into the evening in Lisbon against a team who are adept at winning, but the lack of pressure and "nothing to lose" attitude paid dividends for the north London club.
It was also a bumpy road for The Gunners. They eased past qualifiers before a 5-2 loss to Bayern Munich -- followed by 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the league -- saw the exit of former manager Jonas Eidevall. But under successor Renee Slegers, the team topped the group, overturned a 2-0 deficit to Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter final with a 3-0 win and defeated Lyon 4-1 in the second leg, after an initial 2-1 loss.
Though Barcelona had an easier ride to the final, breezing past Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate, the grit, resilience and determination that Arsenal displayed aided their mentality that they could pull off the shock win. -- Keogh
A new winner ushers in a more thrilling Champions League era
Arsenal's win breathes new life into the Champions League ahead of its revamp next season. For the first time since 2015, when Eintracht Frankfurt lifted the trophy, a team other than Lyon or Barça has won the competition.
It could signal a new era in the women's game in Europe. No one fancied Arsenal at the start of the campaign when they were involved in the qualifying rounds in the group stage. No one thought they would beat Lyon in the semifinal, especially after losing the first leg in London. They were massive underdogs against Barça in Lisbon, too.
In writing a new chapter in the club's history, they give hope to the rest of the teams who have been forced to play second fiddle to Lyon and Barça for a decade. If Arsenal can do it, surely English champions Chelsea can? Real Madrid, who beat Barça earlier this season for the first time ever in Liga F, will also take hope from the Gunners' win, as will the German teams Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg.
It creates a fascinating dynamic ahead of next season, when the competition will be shaken up. Instead of a group stage, the Swiss model will be adopted, as was used in the men's Champions League this season, in which 18 teams take part in a league phase.
Thanks to Arsenal, many of those 18 teams may now be thinking: "Why not?" -- Sam Marsden
Barcelona can't deliver in final third
Barcelona had more shots (20 to 8) and more possession (68%) than Arsenal but rarely troubled Daphne van Domselaar in goal. In fact, prior to the match-winner, it was Cata Coll who had made the best saves. The Barça stopper kept out Maanum's first-half strike brilliantly and then denied Alessia Russo after the break.
Aitana Bonmatí was perhaps the only attacking player who turned up. Caroline Graham Hansen struggled to create from the right, Alexia Putellas was unable to pick up the pace of the game when it was needed and Ewa Pajor, who lost her fifth final, having lost four previously with Wolfsburg, did not have an impact.
Coach Pere Romeu's big decisions didn't come off. Clàudia Pina has been so good off the bench this season, but she started here. You can understand Romeu's thinking, Pina is the top scorer in the competition, but she had been taken off for Salma Paralluelo when Barça desperately needed a goal late on. A braver substitution would have been to take Putellas off and leave Pina on.
Elsewhere, Romeu went for Fridolina Rolfö's experience over the energy of Esmee Brugts, who has often been the pick at left-back and was the surprise omission here. Rölfo has not looked the same since returning from a long-term injury. -- Marsden
Arsenal rode defensive luck but held strong
It was not the prettiest defending from Arsenal, who were riding their luck throughout the evening in Lisbon. Despite keeping it to 0-0 in the first half -- the best outcome The Gunners could have asked for -- there were multiple nervy moments.
Some shambolic defending from Mariona Caldentey meant she passed the ball off to her former teammates, with her current teammates making subsequent skewed clearances. It was clear that the miscommunication at the back was leaving them vulnerable and, after a brief period where the Gunners took control, Barcelona were quick to try and punish their lapses in concentration.
Though they were off the mark in their finishing, Arsenal were sending their clearances back to Barcelona shirts for them to try and try again.
Van Domselaar looked like a player who has not played in six weeks, because she has not. After sustaining an ankle injury, she was fit enough to face Lyon in the second leg but was unable to feature after that until Saturday's final. Her usually impeccable reading of the game was hampered with punches falling to opposition when she should have caught the ball.
The center-backs played a key role in keeping Barcelona out. Leah Williamson's quick adaptability to track back and foil the Catalan's attempt at pushing through on goal kept the holders' chances to a minimum with Steph Catley also pulling off several critical blocks. A last-ditch flurry from Barcelona to try and level the score to send the game to extra time was well dealt with by Arsenal who clung on enough to keep hold of their narrow victory. -- Keogh
Barcelona have questions to answer now
Graham Hansen spoke to ESPN in the week about the criticism of the team being too much at times this season. Defeats to Manchester City, Levante and Real Madrid had raised doubts, but the way they dispatched Wolfsburg and Chelsea had silenced them.
They will resurface with this defeat.
No one is saying Barça are not still the best team in Europe. They will likely end the season with a domestic treble again -- they have already won Liga F and the Spanish Supercopa and still have the Copa de la Reina final to come -- and they narrowly missed out on the Champions League, but it does feel like they are at a critical juncture in terms of planning for the future.
As they attempted to rally in Lisbon, they lacked a spark. Waiting in the wings, they have youngsters like Pina, Paralluelo, Brugts, Vicky López and Sydney Schertenleib screaming out for more starring roles. In front of them are club legends, but there always comes a time when change is needed.
Barça don't need a revolution, but there is need for evolution this summer, with some difficult questions needing answers. -- Marsden
Disney+ will be the home of the UEFA Women's Champions League across Europe from next season and the only place fans can watch all live matches in the competition. Visit the Disney+ website to get access.