Letter from Lisbon: An Irish Champions League winner on a wonderful occasion
AS THE FINAL whistle sounded, and Arsenal were confirmed as Champions League winners, Katie McCabe simply ran.
Bedlam. Roars. Tears.
Euphoria. Elation. Disbelief.
Some fell to the ground, others swayed and stuttered. Unsure how to react, what to do.
Was this real?
Most ran. To each other.
Katie McCabe ran and ran and ran, as she had done all game. She embraced her team-mates in a flurry of emotion, a haze of technicolour as brilliant Barcelona lay slain.
It was real: Arsenal were European champions for the first time since 2007.
The Irish captain soon got her hands on a tricolour, and was draped in it thereafter.
She ran to do TV interviews, sharing special moments with former team-mates, most notably Emma Byrne, in between. Byrne was there 18 years ago when the Gunners first conquered Europe, with Ciara Grant and Yvonne Tracy the other Irish legends involved.
McCabe took inspiration from seeing an iconic picture of the trio with the trophy and tricolour every day at the training ground. This was her time.
Ireland's Katie McCabe celebrating on Saturday. Jose Breton / INPHO Jose Breton / INPHO / INPHO
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Ciara Grant, Emma Byrne and Yvonne Tracy celebrate with the Uefa Women's Cup in 2007. Ireland Football / Sportsfile. Ireland Football / Sportsfile. / Sportsfile.
She ran for the trophy presentation, first in line to get her medal and kiss the silverware.
She jumped for joy as Kim Little and Leah Williamson lifted it aloft, and led the team's celebrations from Estádio José Alvalade to the Emirates Stadium.
As Coldplay's Paradise and U2′s Beautiful Day rang out in the sun, McCabe's family joined her on the pitch. The hugs with her parents, Gary and Sharon, were charged with emotion: all of the highs and lows, ups and downs, and everything they had done for their daughter, from Kilnamanagh to the biggest stage, coming together there and then.
Her brother, Gary, and sister, Lauryn — former and future League of Ireland stars — were among the McCabe party, and a brilliant picture of them all was snapped.
The McCabe family. Kilnamanagh AFC. Kilnamanagh AFC.
While precious memories were made on the turf, a group of Ireland players waited to congratulate their captain. Jessie Stapleton and Grace Moloney, both decked out in 'McCabe 11′ Arsenal gear, were joined by Aoife Mannion, while Clare Shine, a team-mate and friend right through the ranks, squeezed the trip in while home from Australia. Megan Campbell and Anna Patten were there too, as well as several other former Raheny United players.
All people and places that shaped Katie McCabe on her extraordinary journey to this point, as mapped by The 42 last week.
*****
On Saturday morning, the sense of occasion grew with each and every step towards Praca do Comercio. Lisbon's famous square staged the first fanzone for a Uefa Women's Champions League final, and the huge Barcelona support was striking from early in the day.
A sea of red and blue, made up of young and old, marched together; chanting, singing, waving flags, beating drums.
But sure, who cares about women's football? No one watches women's sport, we're told.
The Arsenal fans, meanwhile, gathered on Rua Nova do Carvalho, aka Pink Street. They painted it red. They rattled through their impressive songbook; 'We've got McCabe' getting several rousing renditions under the colourful umbrellas.
Hen party goers were puzzled by the commotion, unable to capture #content for Instagram. Stags joined the fun. Some brave Barcelona fans wormed through the crowds on the pedestrian street only to be met by friendly quips and jeers.
The over-and-back continued in the searing heat at Estádio José Alvalade. A wave of guilt hit The 42 amidst a very different matchday. 'I should be working. If Arsenal win, I need to be in the mixed zone for the Katie McCabe interview.'
But in this job, it's often difficult to take in the whole experience. To savour an occasion, to fully enjoy a moment. To remember why we all love sport.
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Katie McCabe: The gifted kid from Kilnamanagh chasing Champions League glory
I did my utmost to do that on Saturday.
The 38,356 attendance fell well short of the 50,000 capacity billed, but the atmosphere was electric.
The Barca noise was spine-tingling, engulfing the stadium, their expectation clear with every decibel. 5,000 Arsenal fans were seated together in one corner, with others dotted around Sporting Lisbon's ground, in full voice, waving red and white scarves.
Like their team on the pitch, they rode the wave and picked their moments.
Outnumbered but undeterred.
McCabe lifts the Champions League trophy. Jose Breton / INPHO Jose Breton / INPHO / INPHO
The game itself requires a rewatch, but Stina Blackstenius' winning goal in the 74th minute will live long in the memory: Mariona Caldentey's composure, McCabe's decoy run, Beth Mead's stunning pass, and Blackstenius's touch and finish.
Two substitutes combined as Reneé Slegers' master plan came together, and against the odds, Arsenal's rollercoaster season ended on the highest of highs.
In the history books forevermore.
Katie McCabe's won't be the Irish name in there: Paudie Roche (physical performance lead) and Len Pentony (camera operator) are on the Arsenal Women's staff, while Eoin Clarkin (S&C) works across the club. Their achievement must not be lost in this either.
McCabe's certainly won't.
An Irish Champions League winner after a decade with Arsenal, and a wonderful occasion befitting of the achievement.
From Pink Street to North London, from Kilnamanagh to the biggest stage, the celebrations will run and run and run.
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