'Hasn't sunk in yet': Arsenal's Blackstenius after Champions League winner
LISBON: Arsenal hero Stina Blackstenius said she can barely believe scoring the winner which helped the Gunners upset Barcelona in the women's Champions League final on Saturday.
The Swedish striker came on in the second half and made a huge impact to score on the counter-attack as Arsenal won the trophy for the second time after their 2007 triumph.
"It will take a moment to be like 'we actually won', it's such a big moment and it hasn't sunk in yet," she told DAZN.
"I'm so happy with (the goal) but this is a team performance... I'm so proud of everyone, they made it possible for me."
Barcelona have dominated women's football recent years, winning three of the last four editions of the Champions League, including the last two.
However, Arsenal had the better of the first half and showed resilience in the second to triumph, as Blackstenius netted in the final stages.
"Some people had the game of their lives. I am so happy," Arsenal defender Leah Williamson, who excelled in her battle with Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor, told TNT Sports.
"In the first half we had chances and I don't think people believed how good they were. We said 'second half we just need one chance' and Stina took it.
"I'm trying not to swear or cry!" said Arsenal coach Renee Slegers, who added she was proud of her team's fighting spirit to hold off the Catalans in the second half.
"There are signs that when you are a winning team, you struggle together, you suffer together, you find ways to win," she told DAZN.
"In critical, high-pressure moments, we've done that this season."
—AFP
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