Barcelona failed to make their possession pay, as they dominated the ball in Lisbon without making any clear-cut chances, ultimately falling to Blackstenius' smart finish in a 1-0 defeat.
Aitana Bonmati started brightly, driving Barcelona forward and forcing a smart save from Daphne van Domselaar in the Arsenal goal. While Barca enjoyed almost 65% of the ball in the first half, it was the Gunners that made the better chances. They thought they had the breakthrough after 25 minutes when Irene Paredes turned a Chloe Kelly cross into her own net. She was bailed out by VAR, though, with Kelly adjudged to be in an offside position.
Barcelona dominated the early goings of the second half without any clear sights at goal. A deflected Claudia Pina effort struck the bar, while Ona Batlle rattled some long distance shots narrowly past the frame of Van Domselaar's goal.
Even with mounting pressure, the warning signs were there for La Blaugrana. Arsenal broke with speed and purpose, at times requiring Leon and Paredes to make crucial interventions. On the 75th minute Putellas failed to effectively clear an Arsenal corner, allowing Mariona Caldentey to find Beth Mead at the edge of the Barcelona box. Again slow to react to the danger, the Barcelona defenders could only watch as Mead fed Blackstenius, who calmly slotted past Cata Coll.
The Gunners managed the game effectively, including during a lengthy period of seven minutes of stoppage time, to secure their first European crown in 18 years.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Jose Alvalade Stadium ...