Arsenal win Women's Champions League with victory over Barcelona

May 24, 2025 - 20:08

Arsenal's Kim Little and Leah Williamson lift the Champions League trophy Pic: PA

Arsenal have won the Women's Champions League for the second time, beating Barcelona 1-0 in the final in Lisbon.

Substitute Stina Blackstenius scored the game's only goal in the 75th minute after a brilliant pass from England's Beth Mead.

Defending champions Barcelona had dominated the game up to that point, both in possession and shots on goal.

Arsenal had nearly taken the lead in the 21st minute of the game, when Barcelona’s Irene Paredes turned Frida Maanum's cross into her net. But the midfielder had gone slightly too early, and VAR ruled for offside.

The score remained 0-0 until the masterclass by Mead and Blackstenius in the second half, which secured their team's win over Barcelona and stunned their opponent's fans into silence.

This is the first time Barcelona failed to find the net in 41 matches, after scoring an impressive 19 goals in their last three games and keeping clean sheets in their previous four games.

Barcelona went into the match as favourites to lift the trophy, having won three of the last four finals.

Meanwhile, Arsenal - the only English team to have won the women's competition - had not lifted the trophy since their maiden title in the 2006-07 season.

Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said prior to the game that her team, who many considered the underdogs, wanted "to show bravery".

After the game, Slegers, who can now call herself a European winner in her very first season with the north London club, praised her team's ability to handle "critical, high-pressure moments" this season.