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New York Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Arsenal became European champions for a second time: Pressing, doubling up and smart subs
Underdog victories in major finals aren't usually achieved so convincingly. Arsenal were rank outsiders going into the Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday, with odds of up to 14/1 for them to win the game in 90 minutes. Player for player, Arsenal might only get a couple of names into the starting XI of Barcelona, the dominant side in this competition in recent years. But collectively, Arsenal were unquestionably superior, recording an unlikely but thoroughly deserved victory. Advertisement This Arsenal side is comprised almost solely of highly technical players. Centre-backs Steph Catley and Leah Williamson are a former left-back and a former midfielder respectively. Central midfielders Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey are No 10s at heart. Renee Slegers has eschewed old-school centre-backs and functional holding midfielders, and stuck to her Plan A despite knowing Arsenal would spend long periods without the ball. It worked brilliantly. Arsenal's system was 4-4-2 without possession. The defensive line was high, keeping the shape compact, and Alessia Russo and Frida Maanum worked together to shut down Barcelona's build-up play. While Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati receive the most praise, the Barcelona player that requires special attention is right winger Caroline Graham Hansen, whose dribbling can destroy opponents. But Arsenal were incredibly diligent at getting various players around her. Here, Caitlin Foord drops back to help out Katie McCabe, and Graham Hansen is dispossessed when she tries to go past them. Here's a similar situation, although this time it's central midfielder Little who goes out to confront Graham Hansen, with Caldentey her closest support. It doesn't make sense, on paper, for Arsenal's midfield duo to both find themselves in the left-back zone — and the edge of the box is completely empty. But that showed Arsenal's determination to shut down Barca's most dangerous player. In other situations, too, Arsenal's wingers worked incredibly hard. Here's a classic Barcelona move, with Mapi Leon releasing Fridolina Rolfo on the overlap, after Arsenal right-back Emily Fox has got sucked into tracking Claudia Pina dropping deep. Rolfo is well in advance of Foord, briefly playing on the right, and is one of the quickest players on the pitch. But Foord made up an incredible amount of ground to produce a brilliant tackle, which she celebrated like a goal. Here's an example from the second half. Substitute Salma Paralluelo is down the left, and Barca are building an attack. Chloe Kelly, on the halfway line here, isn't in a great position to help stop her. But Kelly makes a 30-yard recovery run to tackle Paralluelo, who seemed surprised to see Kelly was even there. Also highlighted is Putellas on the ground — Kelly had also blocked off her run. Arsenal needed to be brave with their pressing — that's what brought their memorable 4-1 victory at Lyon, and it's the only way to seriously cause Barcelona problems. They did that well throughout the game, working in pairs to win possession high up the pitch. Here, Pina thinks she's free for a pass from Rolfo. But both Maanum and Little are closing down from either side. Pina only spots Little, to the right. She turns left, and runs into Maanum, who makes the tackle. Then Little picks up the loose ball, and Arsenal are on the attack. Here's a similar situation. Goalkeeper Cata Coll plays the ball into Putellas, who doesn't know Kelly is behind her and about to shut her down. Kelly makes the tackle, and two Arsenal players are on hand to take charge. Really, Caldentey didn't make the most of this situation. Arsenal's only problem was playing Russo in behind. This early ball in behind from Kelly was the right idea, but Leon stepped up at the right time to play her offside (as she did for Arsenal's disallowed goal, incidentally). The next time Arsenal were in a similar situation, Russo went too early, was in an offside position, so had to halt her run. Then it was Foord who made the run in behind instead… …but Coll swept well, and Foord was flagged offside anyway. This became a particular problem for Arsenal at the start of the second half, when Barcelona were starting to build pressure and Arsenal kept giving the ball away. Here, Williamson tries to play Russo in behind. But she's not quite on the shoulder of the last defender, and is always second-favourite. Leon is in control, and gets to the ball first. This ball from Williamson, aimed towards Russo, was also a good example of how Arsenal weren't getting it right. Was it a cross or a through-ball? Neither was likely to be effective, with Irene Paredes blocking Russo's run. But Slegers had a plan. Stina Blackstenius — who Slegers played alongside in their days at Linkoping in Sweden — is often criticised for inconsistent finishing, but few players are better at making runs in behind the defence. And when Maanum went down injured, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce Blackstenius, stretching the Barcelona defence. Shortly after coming on, and thanks to a misplaced pass from Rolfo, Blackstenius had the game's clearest chance so far. Note the position of fellow substitute Beth Mead, also bounding in behind, and also of Russo, now asked to play deeper, almost as an extra midfielder. At this point, the pass to Mead on the outside was possibly on… …but Blackstenius had a decent crack at goal herself, placing it too close to Coll. But Blackstenius' introduction clearly changed the game. Here, Fox curls a long ball in behind the defence. Compared to the aforementioned Williamson pass to Russo, Blackstenius is on the last line of defence. She's also up against Paredes, who sometimes lacks speed. The centre-back just about reaches the ball first, but can only put it behind for a corner. And Blackstenius winning that corner led to Blackstenius winning the game. In the second phase of the set piece, the other substitute, Mead, turned onto her left foot and, spotting Blackstenius was free thanks to Paralluelo charging forward towards the ball, slipped her in. Blackstenius, backing away from the defenders to find an extra half-yard of space, controlled the ball and swept it home. One-nil to the Arsenal, as the song goes. It's difficult to think of a more comprehensive tactical performance in a European final — an underdog who didn't have to ride their luck, and who overcame more celebrated footballers courtesy of organisation, discipline and in-game management. 'It was the perfect execution of a game plan,' said Little. 'Which, as a footballer, is one of the best things.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 3️⃣ standout players from the Women's Champions League final
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. Arsenal has made history in Lisbon. The Gunner team has become the new champion of Europe after defeating FC Barcelona in the Champions League final. A final in which the British team played very intelligently against a Barça that was the favorite on the first minute, the culés were the ones who took the lead and imposed their law. But their lack of decisiveness prevented them from claiming victory against an Arsenal that played its cards perfectly: well-positioned, serious in defense, and exploiting weaknesses. A final that leaves many protagonists. But three of them shine above the rest. En medio de la euforia del triunfo en la final de la Champions League, Mariona Caldentey fue a consolar a su excompañera Aitana Bonmatí.Deportividad total. 🥹❤️ #UWCL — Mundo Pelota (@mundopelotanet) May 24, 2025 There have been matches this season where she wasn't at her best. But when the most decisive moment arrived, the best version of Mariona Caldentey reappeared. The Mallorcan player became the perfect metronome for Arsenal, creating play when it was most needed and opening up opportunities. With today's final, she presents her candidacy for the Ballon d'Or. And rightly so. 📸 David Ramos - 2025 Getty Images A match to forget for FC Barcelona. But especially for Caroline Graham Hansen, who in just a year went from being decisive in a final, as she was in Bilbao, to being completely nullified in the match. Her presence in the final was almost nonexistent. A factor that Arsenal knew how to exploit perfectly in a match like this. 😍 STINA STINGS BARÇABeth Mead sees Blackstenius, sets her up, and Arsenal lead 1-0!📺 Watch the UEFA Women's Champions League FINAL LIVE & FREE on DAZN!🔗 #EnjoyTheShow — DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 24, 2025 There are players who change games and make a difference. One of them is Stina Blackstenius, and today she proved once again that she is decisive. Especially when you have quality in abundance in your boots. The Swedish player came off the bench and rescued Arsenal when they were struggling the most. Her verticality allowed for opportunities to be created, and it was from her boots that the goal that decided the final came. A truly iconic player. 📸 Maja Hitij - 2025 Getty Images
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Barcelona huge favourites for Women's Champions League final despite ‘worst' season
Normalising the extraordinary. Even in their 'worst season', Barcelona are going for a second quadruple in a row and fourth consecutive Women's Champions League title. Few may have predicted that late last year, after a defeat at Manchester City prompted a new narrative: this was the season they were finally not going to win anything. In the end, they won the Liga F title but only after losing twice. That may not sound terrible but it is the first time since the 2018-19 season they have been defeated more than once in the league. So a crisis of some sort. The loss at City also prompted some soul-searching for a team in their first season with a new manager, Pere Romeu replacing Jonatan Giráldez last summer. 'It's been an emotional season,' the Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen says. 'We lost a couple of more games than we're used to and we've lost some games that hurt more than others. We weren't good enough but I think the criticism was a bit too harsh given how we were actually playing. 'Our performance at that moment [around the City defeat] wasn't good enough and everyone recognised that. I did that individually and we did as a team. We've just been working since then to make ourselves better and you get to the moments that matter, and we've performed when it matters. Let's see if we can finish the season on the highest high.' Performed when it mattered is perhaps an understatement from the Norwegian. They destroyed Wolfsburg 10-2 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals before beating a resurgent Chelsea – undefeated in the WSL all season – 8-2 over two legs in the semis. 'We don't get tired of winning,' Graham Hansen adds. 'You know it's impossible to win everything all the time so at the beginning of each season you start with the dream to try to do it again. Plus the second time is always tougher because when you do it once, it's difficult to do it again.' Saturday's final sees them face Arsenal, a team they haven't played since 2021 but a rival that has a similar football background with possession-based, Dutch-inspired football. 'It's a good Arsenal team,' says Graham Hansen. 'They are a team that like to dominate the ball like we do but I believe we will dominate the ball more. At least I hope so, they are a strong team so maybe I'm wrong. We'll see.' Of the four players at the top of the Champions League goalscoring charts, two are from Barcelona (Clàudia Pina with 10 and Ewa Pajor with six) and two are from Arsenal (Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey with seven each). Barcelona are favourites but Arsenal proved in the semi-final against Lyon – winning the away leg 4-1 having lost at home – that they are not afraid of being the underdogs. 'It's nice to have another team that we haven't played in a final yet,' Graham Hansen says. 'It's been a team that have shown high standards in the Champions League and it's going to be a tough game. It's a final, you just have to be prepared to leave your heart and soul out there and see who the better team on the day will be. Finals are never easy but that's what makes them fun.' Apart from the change in manager, the Poland forward Pajor arriving was the biggest change from last season for the club. The departures of Jenni Hermoso and Asisat Oshoala had left Barcelona without a proper No 9 and relying from goals from elsewhere on the pitch. The likes of Graham Hansen, Alexia Putellas and Caldentey were tasked with adding more goals but the inclusion of Pajor in the team has altered the team's style of play once again with a focus on having a dynamic striker inside the box. Pajor finished top goalscorer of the league with 25 goals in 28 matches (as well as supplying 10 assists) and knows how to score in a Champions League final from her time at Wolfsburg. In his first season Romeu could achieve one of the hardest feats in football: a quadruple. To the naked eye it may look like the Barcelona players can play the games on their own, without much guidance from the sidelines, but they have praised Romeu's impact since taking over. With many players only having two weeks' holiday between the Olympics and pre-season, he 32-year-old had to manage their workload to avoid fatigue and burnout while still trying to maintain a standard of performance everyone is expecting from his squad. 'I think that was the biggest challenge for him,' says Graham Hansen. 'Where most players come back to pre-season fresh and motivated, we add on another year where we're just more tired. Players had to use the start of the season, already competing, to recover from the summer. But the coaching staff have done well to listen to us, listen to our needs and we've responded with great work. 'I came to Barcelona confident that I would win one Champions League – and now I've won three of them. I didn't imagine it would happen like this when I came here and hopefully, on Saturday, I can add one more.' Burnley ready to step up: The club's women's team will become fully professional from next season and they have formally expressed their interest in replacing Blackburn Rovers in WSL 2. Blackburn withdrew from the second tier on Tuesday and discussions are understood to be taking place between the league and the Football Association to determine how to fill the vacancy. Burnley, who currently play in the third tier, are now committing to switch to full-time status from next season regardless of whether they're chosen to replace Blackburn or not. Their chairman, Alan Pace, said: 'We see both the men's and women's teams as being important now and for ever, and this move aims to accelerate the women further along their development timeline.' A new start: The World Sevens kicked off on Wednesday in Estoril. The seven-a-side tournament has a $5m (£3.73m) prize pot with the winners understood to pocket $2.5m. A large portion of that is supposed to go to the players and coaching staff. On Wednesday Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and PSG won their opening fixtures. The tournament concludes with the semi-final and final on Friday. Spain visit Catalonia: The Spain v England game on 3 June at Espanyol's stadium is the first time since the 1990s that the women's national team have played a match in the region. The men's national team have only played there twice in the past 20 years. I'll never forget what Alexia Putellas did for me, especially during this injury. Sometimes I still get nervous. I used to watch Alexia and Aitana [Bonmatí] on TV and now I'm passing the ball to them on the pitch' – Barcelona's Kika Nazareth talks to Mais Futebol before the Champions League final on arriving at Barcelona from Benfica at the start of the season. Aoba Fujino scores the first goal at the 2025 World Sevens Football to give Manchester City the lead against Rosengård. Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Robyn Cowen, Freddie Cardy AND LUCY BRONZE to break down Chelsea's FA Cup final win and preview Arsenal v Barcelona. Listen here. London City Lionesses have been fined £15,000 for approaching a Southampton player on social media. Blackburn were this week forced to withdraw from WSL 2 on what was described as a 'sad day for women's football'. Exciting talents Lo'eau LaBonta and Kerry Abello have been given their first NWST call-ups by Emma Hayes. And teenager Shelby McMahon scored the only goal of the game to send Melbourne City into the Asian Champions League final. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Barcelona's rampant win over Chelsea exposed the gulf in class the WSL must conquer
Long before even half-time, it was apparent that the only comeback at Stamford Bridge was going to be the return of Barcelona to the Women's Champions League final again. Chelsea just couldn't get close, in scoreline, in performance, or even in terms of basic space. Much of the game seemed to be the excellent Aitana Bonmati just gliding around the pitch unbothered, free to do with the ball what she wanted. And that was often something exquisite, such as when she hammered the brilliant first goal into the corner to set things off. Advertisement The 4-1 scoreline of the first leg was repeated, to make it a chastening 8-2 on aggregate. There's actually a lot to take from that, despite the game quickly evolving into a non-event as a contest. No one in football can really replicate what Barcelona do. This is the outstanding team of the age, now fittingly on the brink of the European gold-standard feat of three Champions Leagues in a row, to potentially make it five in six years. And who would currently rule out Barcelona matching the record of five in a row. Lyon, the only club to have achieved that, are now out after Arsenal's sensational comeback victory. The Gunners' 5-3 win on aggregate offers English football the chance to change the narrative. The persistent return of such clubs as Barcelona and Lyon does point to wider issues, too. For all the burgeoning popularity of the women's game – witnessed in the 26,702 crowd at a gloriously sunny Stamford Bridge – as well as England's very status as European champions, they haven't been able to translate that into success at European club level. Advertisement Arsenal are evidently going to have to do something even more miraculous than their Lyon comeback if they are to beat this team. Barcelona's last final against an English club, again against Chelsea, ended in a 4-0 win. Some of that is just down to fact the Catalans are one of the game's superclubs. It is very difficult for anyone to reach that level. There are two elements within that, however, that both Chelsea and English football could do with thinking about much more. They are all the more pertinent since so much of this match reflected an issue that arose in the 2023 World Cup, and is going to be a theme of the summer. Caroline Graham Hansen shone for the visitors (Getty Images) Barcelona and Spain have a superior assembly line of talent. It can be witnessed in how many of these players illuminate the world champions. Five of the starting XI lifted the trophy in Australia, with Salma Paralluelo also coming off the bench. Advertisement Bonmati displayed all of her talent as the best player in the world with that first goal on 26 minutes. As impressive as the aesthetic was the sheer audacity. To even try the shot from that angle was illustrative of her effervescent quality. Fifteen minutes later, there was a goal appropriately showcasing the entire Catalan-Spanish style, as Barcelona played their way through for Ewa Pajor to tap in after Caroline Graham cut the ball back. How many times have we seen Barcelona and general Spanish teams score exactly that type of goal over the years? From that, and with Barcelona so comfortable they could just enjoy themselves, Claudia Pina just decided to go for it. Mere moments after Pawor's goal, the forward drove a supreme arching long-range strike in off the post. That was a moment when it felt like this could get very bad for Chelsea. Niamh Charles's error for Paralluelo's late goal was instead the worst it got. Advertisement It was still hard to square with the reality that Sonia Bompastor's team featured four English European champions of their own, but that is where there is a bigger issue. It is not just the development of talent. It is the context the talent plays in. A sobering afternoon for the Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor (Reuters) You can bridge a technical gap with tactics. You can't if the opposition's very tactical ideology is superior. Barcelona displayed that defined ideology, one that most of their players have grown up with. The real key to this is how it amplifies the ability of their players, and the team as whole. Hence displays that look so thoroughly convincing. Chelsea, for their part, did display some typically creditable resilience. Things might have gone a little differently had Sjoeke Nusken scored an early chance. Chelsea also prevented that bad moment just before half-time becoming utterly humiliating. Catalina Coll was forced into at least three fine saves, and substitute Wieke Kaptein finally gave the crowd something to cheer about. By that point, the talk of comebacks had long gone. The real discussion should be how Chelsea get to this level, and back into Champions League finals. An 8-2 aggregate scoreline didn't really tell the reality of the gap.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Previewing the UEFA Women's Champions League Semifinal
Featuring a stacked foursome of global giants, the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinals are set to be appointment television. The UEFA Women's Champions League is down to its final four, and you couldn't have picked bigger clubs to reach this stage of the competition. Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea, and Arsenal are titans of their industry, all with ambitions of hoisting a trophy in Lisbon next month. There are no Cinderellas who are merely happy to be here in this grouping. As we brace ourselves for what's set to be a confluence of giants, let's break down each club and their chances of bringing home the coveted Champions League trophy. The two-time defending champions and quite possibly the standard for women's club football, FC Barcelona Femeni once again find themselves within reaching distance of a UWCL title. In last year's final, Barça finally disposed of Lyon — who they had previously lost to in both the 2019 and 2022 championship matches — and the stars may very well align for a rematch in 2025. However, they'll first have to get past a stacked Chelsea side (more on them later), which will be no easy feat — just ask Manchester City. Barcelona still have an embarrassment of riches throughout their roster, including the top three Ballon d'Or finishers from last year, Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Salma Parauello. In fact, Barcelona currently roster five out of the top 11 vote recipients of last year's award. Superteam might be an understatement. What's even wilder, is the club might be better than it was last year, thanks to the addition of Ewa Pajor from Wolfsburg, who's put together an absurd season, amassing 30 goal contributions (22 goals, eight assists) in 25 games across all competitions. The usual suspects of Bonmati, Graham Hansen, Claudia Pina, Patri Guijarro, and — oh yeah — Alexia Putellas, have all put together strong campaigns as well. Then there's Mapi Leon, who's doing things like this in the UWCL quarters against Wolfsburg. Parauello, one of the world's top young talents, missed the first 12 Liga F matches of the season with a lingering knee injury, but she's since returned back to her lethal self and scored three goals over the two legs against Wolfsburg. All of this to say — Barcelona remain the clear front runners in this competition. They've won 22 out of 24 Liga F matches thus far, with a ridiculous +81 goal differential (96 for, 15 against). Add to that a +31 GD through seven UWCL games, and you have a team that's simply operating on another level. It's them, then everyone else. But Chelsea are no slouches either. Looking to shove the immovable object that is Barcelona, Chelsea have been somewhat of an unstoppable force of their own this season. Sitting atop the WSL undefeated with four matches to play, the Blues employ a stacked roster, even without million-dollar transfer Naomi Girma, who went down with a calf injury in her club debut, and Sam Kerr, who tore her ACL last January. Their numbers aren't as gaudy as Barcelona's, but any combination of Mayra Ramirez, Lauren James, Agnes Beever-Jones, Guro Reiten, or Catarina Macario up front makes for an intimidating attack, and a defense anchored by Lucy Bronze, Sandy Baltimore, and Millie Bright has allowed just 13 goals through 18 WSL matches this season. Perhaps the highlight of Chelsea's year thus far came in the UWCL quarterfinals against Manchester City, where they put together a domineering 3-0 second leg victory after falling down 2-0 in the first leg. All three goals came in the first half, where Chelsea put on an absolute clinic and probably should've had more to show for it. If they can maintain that kind of play against Barcelona, it's not totally out of the question for them to pull off an upset. Before Barcelona Femení were the talk of the women's football world, there was (and still is) Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. The French powerhouse has the most UWCL titles with eight — double that of second-most Eintracht Frankfurt — and has put together a dominant 2024-25 campaign. With three games left to play in the Première Ligue season, Lyon are undefeated, winning 18 matches and drawing one. Their +81 goal differential matches that of Barcelona, and should they finish the job, it'll be their fifth undefeated season since 2017-18. Lyon have lost just three league matches in that eight-season span, and have long been the class of women's football. Leading the charge offensively is 21-year-old Haitian international Melchie Dumornay, who, after showing promise in her first year with the club last season, is in full breakout mode in 2024-25. In 23 matches across all competitions, she's tallied 27 goal contributions (19 goals, eight assists), and should be in the running for a Ballon d'Or. A UWCL trophy would certainly help her cause. Joining Dumornay in the attack are veterans Kadidiatou Diani and Tabitha Chawinga, while a dynamic midfield featuring Lindsey Heaps, Damaris Egurrola, and Dzennifer Marozsán provide a wealth of experience. Vanessa Gilles and Wendie Renard — one of the best center back pairings in the world — anchor the back line along with Ellie Carpenter on the right and a platoon of Sofie Svava and Selma Bacha on the left. The entire lineup from front to back is capable of scoring, making Lyon one of the most dangerous teams in the world, and they'll be looking for their get-back should they face Barcelona in the final. But a pesky Arsenal side will first stand in their way. After a lukewarm start to the season, Arsenal sacked manager Jonas Eidevall and have since lost just one WSL match and find themselves looking to return to the UWCL finals for the first time since winning it all in 2007. The rejuvenated North London side eked out a quarterfinal win against Real Madrid in similar fashion to Chelsea — winning the second leg 3-0 after falling 2-0 in the first. The Gunners' resilience is the product of a roster with plenty of big match experience — Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, and Lotte Wubben-Moy were all part of the Lioness squad that took home the 2022 EURO title, and Mariona Caldentey was an integral part of Spain's 2023 World Cup campaign. An American and Australian contingent consisting of Emily Fox, Jenna Nighswonger, Caitlin Foord, and Steph Catley bring some verve of their own, and Dutch keeper Daphne von Domslaar is among the best shot stoppers in the world. Like fellow London side Chelsea, Arsenal have an uphill battle in front of them, but don't expect them to be intimidated by their opponents. As much as we'd love for an upset or two to occur, Barcelona and Lyon are simply too stacked to bet against. But while our picks might be boring, these semifinal ties — along with the ensuing title match — will be appointment television. A heated UWCL final rematch is in the cards, and we can expect a packed Estádio José Alvalade come May.
