Stina Blackstenius played the role of super sub as her goal helped Arsenal clinch their second Women's Champions League title with a 1-0 win over holders Barcelona.
Match Report
Blackstenius made an instant impact from the bench, striking the decisive blow seven minutes after her introduction into the action at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
The Gunners, featuring in their first European final since winning the competition in 2007, made a nervy start to proceedings, but quickly settled against Pere Romeu's team.
And they thought they had edged ahead in the 23rd minute when Frida Maanum's cross was turned into her own net by Irene Paredes, but her blushes were spared by the offside flag, with the Arsenal attacker collecting the ball beyond the Barca defence.
Maanum was involved again moments later as Arsenal pushed for the opening goal, but her drilled effort from 25 yards out was acrobatically tipped over by Cata Coll.
Barcelona, however, improved after the break and went within inches of taking the lead shortly after the restart, but Claudia Pina saw her strike deflect onto the crossbar.
Renee Slegers turned to her bench in the 67th minute and introduced Blackstenius and Beth Mead, and those changes proved a stroke of genius.
Blackstenius had forced a huge save from Coll moments after entering the action, but she got herself on the scoresheet merely seconds later.
After a corner was cleared, Mead collected the ball on the edge of the box and sent a clever reverse pass into Blackstenius, who fired into the bottom-left corner.
Barcelona piled on the pressure as they tried to force extra time, but Arsenal held on after seven minutes of stoppage to set up a party in Lisbon.
Data Debrief: Gunners reign supreme once again
Ahead of kick-off, many predicted Barcelona would romp to a fourth European crown in five years, but Arsenal showcased the grit and determination they showed in the latter stages of the competition that got them to the showpiece match.
The Gunners survived a wave of Barca pressure, and despite ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.64 to Barca's 0.98, with the Spanish champions having 20 shots, Arsenal took their chance when it mattered.
And match-winner Blackstenius picked the perfect time to end her goal drought in Europe. Indeed, her strike was just her second in the competition this season, and her first since November against Juventus.
It marked a sensational turnaround under Slegers, who became the first Dutch manager to win the Women's Champions League, and the third overall across the men's or women's competition, after Louis van Gaal (1995 with Ajax) and Frank Rijkaard (2006 with Barcelona).
Women's Super League rivals Chelsea may have completed the domestic treble, but these Arsenal heroes will also go down in history, as the Gunners remain the only English team to have won the competition.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
22' Paredes nets an own goal but Maanum was offside when collecting the ball
27' Maanum hits a strike from 25 yards out but Coll does superbly to save it
31' Bonmati's shot can only find the gloves of Van Domselaar
47' Pina strikes at goal but Daphne van Domselaar has her body behind the ball
49' Pina's strike takes a deflection off Emily Fox and hits the crossbar!
60' Bonmati charges at the Arsenal defence and gets awaya shot, but it's blocked
65' Match Event for Arsenal WFC vs Barcelona
66' Arsenal's Chloe Kelly gets a yellow card for fouling Alexia Putellas
71' Blackstenius looks to fire it in the bottom, but Coll makes an excellent stop
75' GOAL! Blackstenius shoots low and into the net! Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona
Line-ups
Arsenal WFC XI: K. Little, S. Catley, C. Foord, Mariona Caldentey, K. McCabe, F. Leonhardsen Maanum, L. Williamson, C. Kelly, E. Fox, D. van Domselaar, A. Russo
Subs: A. Ilestedt, L. Wälti, M. Zinsberger, Lina Hurtig, S. Blackstenius, V. Pelova, B. Mead, K. Cooney-Cross, J. Nighswonger, C. Wubben-Moy, Laia Codina, Naomi Williams
Barcelona XI: C. Hansen, Alexia Putellas, F. Rolfö, E. Pajor, Mapi León, Irene Paredes, Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Cata Coll, Ona Batlle Pascual, Claudia Pina
Subs: Marta Torrejón, I. Engen, E. Roebuck, Gemma Font, Jana Fernandez, Esmee Brugts, Judit Pujols, Alba Caño, Salma Paralluelo, Victoria Lopez-Felix, Sydney Schertenleib