Stina Blackstenius played the role of Super Sub because her goal Arsenal helped to conquer their second Women's Champions League title with a 1-0 win over holders Barcelona.
2024/2025 UEFA Women's Champions League
1-0
- S. Blackstenius (74 ')
Match report
Blackstenius immediately made an impact of the bank and hit the decisive blow seven minutes after her introduction to the action in the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
The Gunners, with in their first European final since winning the competition in 2007, made a nervy start of the procedure, but quickly settled against the Pere Romeu team.
And they thought they had got ahead in the 23rd minute when the cross of Frida Maanum was converted into her own network by Irene Paredes, but her blushing were spared by the offside flag, where the Arsenal attacker collected the ball over the Barca defense.
Moments later, Maanum was involved again when Arsenal insisted on the opening goal, but her drilled effort from 25 meters was acrobatically tipped by Cata Coll.
Barcelona, however, improved after the break and went within the centimeters of taking the lead shortly after the restart, but Claudia Pina saw her strike bend on the bar.
Renee Slesers turned on her couch in the 67th minute and introduced Blackstenius and Beth Mead, and those changes turned out to be a genius.
Blackstenius had a huge rescue from Coll -moments forced moments after entering the action, but she came to the score sheet only a few seconds later.
After a corner was erased, Mead gathered the ball on the edge of the box and sent a smart inverted pass to Blackstenius, which shot in the top left corner.
Barcelona stacked on the pressure while they tried to force extra time, but Arsenal stuck after seven minutes of the interruption to set up a party in Lisbon.
We did it! We are again Champions of Europe pic.twitter.com/vta5nhzra4
– Arsenal – Women (@ARSENALWFC) 24 May 2025
Data debrief: Gunners reign the supreme again
Prior to the kick -off, many predicted that Barcelona would romp in five years to a fourth European crown, but Arsenal showed the grit and determination they showed in the last phases of the competition that brought them to the showpiece competition.
The Gunners survived a wave of Barca print, and despite the end of the competition with an expected goals (XG) a total of 0.64 to Barca's 0.98, with the Spanish champions had 20 shots, Arsenal won their chance when it did.
And Match winner Blackstenius chose the perfect time to end her goal drought in Europe. Indeed, her strike was only her second in the competition this season, and her first since November against Juventus.
It meant a sensational turnaround among Slegers, who became the first Dutch manager to win the Women's Champions League, and the third generally in the men's or women's competition, after Louis van Gaal (1995 with Ajax) and Frank Rijkaard (2006 with Barcelona).
Women's Super League rivals Chelsea may have completed the Interior Treble, but these arsenal heroes will also go into history, because the Gunners remain the only English team that has won the competition.
Match -Events
0 'The game is about to start!
22 'Paredes Nets has its own goal, but Maanum was offside when collecting the ball
27 'Maanum is a strike from 25 meters, but Coll is doing very well to make it
31 'Bossi's Scot can only find Van Domselaar's gloves
47 'Pina hits goal, but Daphne van Domselaar has her body behind the ball
49 'Pina's strike gets a deflection from Emily Fox and touches the bar!
60 'BONMATI -ACTURE AT THE Arsenal defense and leaves, but it is blocked
65 'competition event for Arsenal WFC vs Barcelona
66 'Arsenal's Chloe Kelly gets a yellow card for polluting Alexia Putellas
71 'Blackstenius seems to fire at the bottom, but Coll is making an excellent stop
75 'goal! Blackstenius shoots low and in the net! Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona
Line-ups
Arsenal WFC XI: K. Little, S. Catley, C. Foord, Mariona Caldentey, K. McCabe, F. Leonhardesen Maanum, L. Williamson, C. Kelly, E. Fox, D. van Domselaar, A. Russo
Subs: A. Ilestedt, L. Wälti, M. Zinsberger, Lina Hurtigig, S. Blackstenius, V. Pelova, B. Mead, K. Cooney-Cross, J. Nighswonger, C. Wubben-Moy, Laia Codina, Naomi Williams
Barcelona XI: C. Hansen, Alexia Putellas, F. Rolfö, E. Pajor, Mapi León, Irene Paredes, Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bossi, Cata Coll, ONA Batlle Pascual, Claudia Pina
Subs: Marta Torrejón, I. Engen, E. Roebuck, Gemma Font, Jana Fernandez, Esmee Brugts, Judit Pujols, Alba Caño, Salma Paralluelo, Victoria Lopez-Felix, Sydney Schertleib