Key events
30 min: Foord, who has a really great start to the game, wins a free kick in Arsenal’s own half. They build from deep but then let it roll out of play.
29 min: Kelly takes the corner and the delivery is a good one but it’s repelled. It drops for Little but her effort goes over the bar. Arsenal the team closer to breaking this deadlock.
28 min: Well that would have been an absolute screamer. Maanum takes a long range shot and it takes an excellent touch from Coll to keep it out. Arsenal corner to come.
26 min: Russo crosses in and finds Fox but Pina does well to put her off and Coll can collect her shot. The Gunners taking confidence from their almost lead.
24 min: Paredes went straight to her goalkeeper and they had an embrace as that was etched off. The defender is seriously relieved with that.
NO GOAL! Arsenal 0-0 Barcelona
It’s been ruled out because Kelly is offside. Barca breathe a sigh of relief.
Kelly looked to cross it and Paredes took a touch and it went it. Though there is a goal check.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona (Paredes OG, 22)
Oh my word. That wasn’t in the script.
21 min: Putellas gets into the box but again Arsenal repel the effort. The question starts to be raised of just how long the Gunners can remain a red wall?
19 min: Arsenal manager Slegers was just shown telling her players to calm down as Barca were just starting to wrestle some momentum. These moments will be crucial in this final.
17 min: The set piece is taken by Leon and the delivery is good but Russo heads it clear, well read by the England international. Barca keep their move alive though and it comes in but Van Domselaar punches clear.
16 min: A slightly slower tempo to the game in the last few minutes, which may be a relief for Arsenal with a lot of their players already red in the face with the heat in Lisbon. Barca now win a corner.
15 min: Another great move from the Gunners with another excellent ball, this time to Kelly but she biffs it over the bar. Not the most elegant word biff, but it sums up that shot.
13 min: Barca immediately reply and Bonmati takes a shot, it’s deflected and Van Domselaar can pick it up. A lively start to this final.
12 min: Arsenal on the attack now and a great ball comes to Foord, she square it into the box but no one is there to pick it up. May have been a better option to try and take a shot herself there but Arsenal starting to show their attacking teeth.
10 min: Arsenal absolutely scrambling in the box as they try to clear repeatedly and it keeps going into the feet of Barca players. The Gunners so lucky a clean chance was not taken there. Wow.
8 min: Both sides are being slightly sloppy in the final third so far, the chances are being created but the last passes are just not sticking. But here come Barcelona, Putellas looks to cross but Fox sees it out. The throw in comes in and Barca take a shot but it’s wide. Pina went down earlier in the play as it looks like Kelly gave her a nudge, she is okay to continue.
7 min: Bonmati has a cracking run and no matter how hard Arsenal try they can’t dispossess her. She passes but Graham Hansen can’t keep it in the pitch. That felt like a warning from Barca.
5 min: Patri does really well to marshall the ball out with Maanum wanting to win a corner, the Arsenal player looked like she was wincing a bit after that but she carries on.
3 min: Arsenal pressing high early on but they have just had too much on a pass and touch so far, they are bang up for this.
2 min: Barcelona fans’ voices ringing around the stadium, as our on the ground reporter Tom Garry said a little earlier it feels like a home Barca game. Both finding their feet early on.
Kick-off! Arsenal 0-0 Barcelona
Here we go.
The players are now out on the pitch with the famous Champions League anthem about to play. Who will come out on top? We’re about to find out.
Tom Garry has also been analysing the game in the build-up and you can read his piece here:
Alessia Russo is Arsenal’s star with much-improved form under Renee Slegers but can she become a Gunners legend in this final? Suzy Wrack has delved into the topic:
The final is a sell out today and the atmosphere is absolutely sparkling already, this is going to be a special.
Tom Garry
It is not just a warm afternoon here, it’s that type of dry heat with sun traps that saps your energy, without the cool breeze that had freshened the air at the World Sevens Football event along the coast over the past three days. The temperature is officially 28 degrees right now here in Lisbon but somebody standing pitchside has just told me it feels a lot, lot warmer than that within the bowl of the stadium, where the air is just cooking in the sunshine. The heat could certainly be a factor in this game. Barcelona will be used to it, that’s for sure.
Back in 2007 the first iPhone was released, the final Harry Potter book was published and Tony Blair stood down as Prime Minister. It also happens to be the year Arsenal last won the Women’s Champions League. What were you up to that year? Get in touch and let me know! I was in primary school and a huge Girls Aloud fan, email me yours.
A great piece on Barcelona, who head into the game as favourites today:
Arsenal defender Leah Williamson was a mascot the last time the Gunners were in the Women’s Champions League final. Today she starts for the side, she spoke to Suzy Wrack about her journey here:
Tom Garry
Around 5,000 Arsenal fans are expected in Lisbon today, while there are believed to be at least 30,000 Barcelona supporters descending on the Portuguese capital. There is a spotless, blue sky above the city. Since the pandemic, Barcelona fans have got used to this end-of-season showpiece and it’s become something of a pilgrimage for their fans – I spoke to one Barca fan this morning who is attending the final for the third year in a row and saved up for six months to buy their flights. Arsenal, on the other hand, are at this stage for the first time in 18 years. There’s a novelty to this event for their fans, rather than a routine.
Manchester City and former Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema is in Lisbon for the final, supporting her partner Beth Mead. She was asked by ESPN who she thinks will win the game today: “Barcelona has a lot of quality. I played against them with City at the beginning of the season. If I have to predict, I think Barcelona.”
Final team news
The team news is in. Crucially for Arsenal star goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar is fit and starts the final.
Arsenal: Van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, Mariona, Little (C), McCabe, Maanum, Foord, Kelly, Russo
Subs: Zinsberger, Williams, Wubben-Moy, Codina, Ilestedt, Nighswonger, Walti, Cooney-Cross, Pelova, Hurtig, Mead, Blackstenius
Barcelona, meanwhile, have their full line-up of icons fully loaded. They have so many Salma Paralluelo is on the bench.
Barcelona: Coll, Paredes, Leon, Pina, Graham Hansen, Putellas, Patri, Bonmati, Rolfo, Pajor, Batlle
Subs: Gemma, Roebuck, Jana, Paralluelo, Marta, Vicky, Engen, Brugts, Cane, Schertenleib, Serrajordi, Judit
Some intriguing news fans need to know about next season’s Women’s Champions League:
Are the nerves kicking in yet? Any predictions for the match? I’d love to hear. Give me an email and get in touch.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the Women’s Champions League final where Arsenal will try and defy the odds once again to lift the trophy for the second time in their history.
They come up against the in-form team in this competition in Barcelona which is why the Gunners head into the game a underdogs. Defending champions Barca defeated Wolfsburg 10-2 on aggregate in their quarter-final and treble domestic champions Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate in the semi-final.
But Arsenal themselves had impressive knockout matches, coming from 2-0 down to beat Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate in the quarters and they downed eight-time winners Lyon 5-3 in the semis.
The Gunners were also the last English team to win this trophy, back in 2007 when they achieved the quadruple. Can they do it again? We will find out in a few short hours with kick-off coming at 5pm BST. First is the team news which will be dropping shortly, so stay tuned.
