Boss Renee Slegers reveals she predicted Arsenal's Champions League-winning goal
The Gunners remain the only English team to lift the trophy, doing so for a second time 18 years after they became the first as part of an historic quadruple-winning campaign.
And it was a decision by the 36-year-old head coach that proved especially prescient as Blackstenius' fellow replacement Beth Mead provided the pinpoint pass to tee up the Sweden international.
'I was joking with Beth after the game, I was like, 'I told you, give the ball to Stina and she will score',' Slegers told DAZN.
What it means 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/BQBpLsd3Oz
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) May 24, 2025
'No, it's not that easy. You do everything you can, you make decisions all the time, players on the pitch and also on the sidelines, getting the timing right.
'All the credit to the players, how they've been dealing with this occasion has been superb.'
Dutchwoman Slegers was a former assistant to ex-Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall, appointed to the top job on an interim basis when he and the club parted ways in October following a poor run of form.
The Gunners have thrived under her, with multiple players crediting their young head coach throughout the campaign for helping them rediscover their love of the game.
Renée Slegers, take a bow 👏#UWCL || #UWCLfinal pic.twitter.com/2usf3EU4SB
— UEFA Women's Champions League (@UWCL) May 24, 2025
She has now paid off the club's faith in her, rewarding them with the silverware they have so long craved.
On Saturday, at the home of Sporting Lisbon, Slegers' Arsenal showed incredible resilience, unfazed after a first-half Barcelona own goal was disallowed by VAR for offside, and resolute against waves of attack from the defending champions, who came close to opening the scoring when Claudia Pina clipped the crossbar shortly after the break.
The Gunners held on to their advantage, fending off seven minutes of stoppage time before they could finally celebrate.
Slegers' side eliminated the winners of the last nine combined Champions Leagues en route to this final, seeing off eight-time winners Lyon and now Barcelona, who have lifted the trophy in three of the last four seasons.
Etched in history 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4Deeivz4lb
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) May 24, 2025
The Gunners completed an impressive comeback over Lyon in the semi-finals after losing the first leg 2-1 at home, then beating the eight-time Champions League winners – and last season's runners-up – 4-1 in France to advance 5-3 on aggregate.
Slegers added: 'I think Arsenal have always been leading the way since the start, and they have been working so hard as a club. But definitely you see things, this season, I think, in the team, and that's signs of a winning team.
'You struggle together, you suffer together, you find ways to win, and I think in the critical moments, in high-pressure moments, we've done that this season.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
33 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Thomas Tuchel ‘impatient' for improvement with England
Tuchel will take charge of his fourth England game at the City Ground in Nottingham, where he will look to keep up his 100 per cent winning record since taking over as head coach in January. England came under criticism on Saturday after they only managed to edge a narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Andorra, courtesy of Harry Kane's 50th-minute goal. Certain sections of fans made their feelings known at the break and full-time with boos and Tuchel was thinking about giving the players more freedom in their midweek friendly. Asked when England would be playing the style of football he liked, Tuchel replied: 'I'm very impatient, which is not always a good thing. 'I'm always impatient because when you step out into the stadium and even if the fixture itself for the players is after a big season, after big finals, European finals, fighting for Champions League places in a big league, it might not be the most exciting fixture. 'But for me personally, once I step into a stadium, see the grass, smell the grass, see 7,000 English supporters there ready to go, I'm instantly expecting something from myself and from the players and it will be the same tomorrow. Rest. Recover. Go again. 🔁 — England (@England) June 8, 2025 'Of course, I'm impatient and want to do better. We are thinking about giving the players a little bit more freedom in the structure – let's see. 'Tomorrow we face a more physical and demanding team. On paper it might not look as offensive as we were against Andorra but will give the players more freedom to express themselves and hopefully we see that on Tuesday.' The Senegal game will give Tuchel another opportunity to look at his squad, some of whom have not played under his stewardship so far. Tuchel admitted Saturday's performance did not match the standards he has been trying to set and announced there would be changes. He added: 'We as a team didn't match our standards. 'I didn't like the last 10 minutes. We didn't play seriously enough to win it in the end and what we needed to do in a World Cup qualifier. 'Everything I say here I say to the players – why should I sugar coat? There is no harm done, we can have criticism and I believe a group of players in football can speak honestly to each other. I always include myself in that – now it's on us to do better. 'There will be some changes, I won't let you know how many but there will be. We want to reward players who kept their level up. We will see some fresh legs, new faces.' One player who has not featured yet under Tuchel is Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal winger missed the German's first camp in March through injury and was not included in the squad on Saturday because he had only completed one full training session during the week. Proud to represent the #ThreeLions ❤️ — England (@England) June 9, 2025 Saka said: 'It's been a bit of a frustrating year through injuries and (I'm) looking forward to tomorrow. 'After the last game of the season, I had a little strain. I was only able to do one or two sessions in the week so the manager said he'll leave me out and have me involved tomorrow. 'If I speak about Thomas, he has been quite demanding, intense on the pitch, but off the pitch relaxed and lets us enjoy ourselves and created a nice environment for all the players to enjoy.'
Glasgow Times
34 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Thomas Tuchel ‘impatient' for improvement with England
Tuchel will take charge of his fourth England game at the City Ground in Nottingham, where he will look to keep up his 100 per cent winning record since taking over as head coach in January. England came under criticism on Saturday after they only managed to edge a narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Andorra, courtesy of Harry Kane's 50th-minute goal. England were far from impressive in their 1-0 win over Andorra (Bradley Collyer/PA) Certain sections of fans made their feelings known at the break and full-time with boos and Tuchel was thinking about giving the players more freedom in their midweek friendly. Asked when England would be playing the style of football he liked, Tuchel replied: 'I'm very impatient, which is not always a good thing. 'I'm always impatient because when you step out into the stadium and even if the fixture itself for the players is after a big season, after big finals, European finals, fighting for Champions League places in a big league, it might not be the most exciting fixture. 'But for me personally, once I step into a stadium, see the grass, smell the grass, see 7,000 English supporters there ready to go, I'm instantly expecting something from myself and from the players and it will be the same tomorrow. 'Of course, I'm impatient and want to do better. We are thinking about giving the players a little bit more freedom in the structure – let's see. 'Tomorrow we face a more physical and demanding team. On paper it might not look as offensive as we were against Andorra but will give the players more freedom to express themselves and hopefully we see that on Tuesday.' The Senegal game will give Tuchel another opportunity to look at his squad, some of whom have not played under his stewardship so far. Tuchel admitted Saturday's performance did not match the standards he has been trying to set and announced there would be changes. He added: 'We as a team didn't match our standards. 'I didn't like the last 10 minutes. We didn't play seriously enough to win it in the end and what we needed to do in a World Cup qualifier. 'Everything I say here I say to the players – why should I sugar coat? There is no harm done, we can have criticism and I believe a group of players in football can speak honestly to each other. I always include myself in that – now it's on us to do better. 'There will be some changes, I won't let you know how many but there will be. We want to reward players who kept their level up. We will see some fresh legs, new faces.' One player who has not featured yet under Tuchel is Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal winger missed the German's first camp in March through injury and was not included in the squad on Saturday because he had only completed one full training session during the week. Proud to represent the #ThreeLions ❤️ — England (@England) June 9, 2025 Saka said: 'It's been a bit of a frustrating year through injuries and (I'm) looking forward to tomorrow. 'After the last game of the season, I had a little strain. I was only able to do one or two sessions in the week so the manager said he'll leave me out and have me involved tomorrow. 'If I speak about Thomas, he has been quite demanding, intense on the pitch, but off the pitch relaxed and lets us enjoy ourselves and created a nice environment for all the players to enjoy.'
Glasgow Times
34 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Tottenham close in on appointing Thomas Frank as new head coach
Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou on Friday, despite Europa League success, and quickly set their sights on Frank – who has gained admirers for his work over an impressive seven-year period at the west London club. After positive discussions over the weekend, there is a growing confidence that Frank will be the man to replace Postecoglou, PA understands. Ange Postecoglou was sacked last week after two years in charge (John Walton/PA) Frank's current deal at Brentford runs until the summer of 2027 and contains a release clause reported to be in the region of £10million. Brentford are expected to hold out for Frank's release clause but, while an official approach from Tottenham is yet to occur, the Danish coach is expected to make the move across London. The 51-year-old would take over a Spurs side which won the Europa League last month but finished 17th in the Premier League. Poor domestic form during the 2024-25 season accounted for Postecoglou's job as the Spurs board were forced to make 'one of the toughest decisions' they have had to make in dismissing the head coach who ended a 17-year trophy drought. 'It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond,' a club statement on Friday read. Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties. — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 6, 2025 PA understands Tottenham have also relieved coaches Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo of their duties. Ryan Mason left his role as Spurs first-team coach last week to take over as West Brom boss, which opens the door for Frank to bring in some of his own staff. Another departure from Spurs this summer will be Scott Munn, who was made chief football officer at the club in 2023, PA understands. Spurs technical director Johan Lange has remained in post and is set to renew allegiances with compatriot Frank. Frank and Lange worked together at Danish club Lyngby before they both made their mark in the Premier League. Lange attempted to bring Frank to Aston Villa in 2022 when he worked at the Midlands outfit. Former Brondby boss Frank has developed a strong reputation in English football since he took over Brentford, with his tactical nous and man-management skills often lauded by rival managers and pundits. After Frank guided Brentford to promotion in 2021, he quickly enabled them to compete strongly in the Premier League despite a modest budget and has continued to be linked to a number of high-profile vacancies in recent years.
