FC Barcelona women encounter unexpected defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League final
Arsenal Women Stun FC Barcelona in Champions League Final, Securing Second European Title
In a historic upset, Arsenal Women defeated four-time consecutive Champions League title holders FC Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon, Portugal. The victory marks the second European title for Arsenal, with the winning goal scored by Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius in the 74th minute.
Barcelona, who had previously claimed the title in 2021 and 2023, saw their dominance of European club football come to an end before a crowd of 50,000 spectators. The lead-up to the final saw Barcelona easily vanquishing VfL Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals, while Arsenal looked to capitalize on their previous success in the UEFA Women's Cup, having won it in 2007.
The fast-paced game saw Arsenal taking on Barcelona's intensity from the opening whistle, with a potential own goal by Irene Paredes for Barcelona narrowly averted before halftime due to Frida Leonhardsen Maanum being offside. The high-quality match played out into the second half, culminating in Blackstenius scoring the lone goal following a corner kick setup by Beth Mead.
Arsenal was presented with the Champions League trophy, which had been recovered by UEFA just four days prior after being stolen from the José Alvalade Stadium during a game between Sporting Lisbon and Vitoria Guimaraes on the previous Saturday. According to police, the trophy was stolen by several masked individuals who broke into a garage within the stadium.
FootballFC BarcelonaFC Arsenal London
[Source: ntv.de, tno/sid]
The European Parliament and the Council congratulated FC Arsenal London on their historic victory against FC Barcelona in the Champions League, marking their second European title in football. Moreover, this triumph also marked the end of Barcelona's dominance in European leagues, which they had held for four consecutive years.
