Arsenal stuns two-time defending champion Barcelona to win first Women’s Champions League title in 18 years

The last time Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League, the team’s star Leah Williamson was a 10-year-old mascot, clutching a ball as she accompanied the players onto the pitch.

The last time Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League, the team’s star Leah Williamson was a 10-year-old mascot, clutching a ball as she accompanied the players onto the pitch. On Saturday, 18 years later, Williamson’s defensive brilliance helped the Gunners to their next European triumph as they stunned two-time defending champion and pre-game favorite Barcelona 1-0 in the final. This was an all-conquering Barça team, one which was playing in a record-equaling fifth consecutive final, had once again dominated Spain’s Liga F and had scored 44 goals in the Champions League this season, just one shy of the all-time record. Few expected Arsenal to dethrone such a team. “We knew that we were the underdogs and it’s rare that you get to play in a game when there’s so little pressure on you,” Williamson said afterward, per the club’s website. “So we just went out and we said we were going to enjoy it.” Armed with such an attitude and unencumbered by expectation, Arsenal produced one of its great performances, Stina Blackstenius’ goal in the 74th minute proving the difference between the two teams. Blackstenius had been on the pitch for less than 10 minutes when she made her decisive contribution, collecting Beth Mead’s reverse pass through Barça’s defense inside the box, controlling it with one touch and firing it across the face of the goal into the net.