Arsenal boss Renee Slegers revealed she predicted Stina Blackstenius’s Women’s Champions League-winning goal after her second-half substitute scored in the 74th minute of their 1-0 Lisbon final victory against Barcelona.
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.
“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.
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.
Get 3 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Get 3 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
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.
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.”
