LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Cata Coll used everything she had.
The Barcelona goalkeeper leapt to tip an on-target goal over the bar. She stabbed a foot out at the last second to deflect another net-bound strike.
While her teammates floundered against Arsenal, Coll did all she could to keep Barcelona’s hopes alive of a third successive Women’s Champions League title.
Everything she had wasn’t enough, though. Coll could do nothing to stop an unmarked Stina Blackstenius from firing home a low shot from inside the box and giving Arsenal the most desired trophy in European women's club soccer with a 1-0 win in Lisbon on Saturday.
And, like that, Barcelona’s quest to three-peat and claim a fourth title in five years was dashed.
A side that boasted two-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas and several other world champions from Spain’s 2023 title team underperformed across the field. The highest scoring attack in Europe that had blasted all-comers fizzled out against Arsenal, lacking precision in passing and finishing touch.
Except, that is, for Coll.
She stretched high to paw a missile by Frida Maanum over in the first half. She then stood firm and guessed right when Blackstenius broke clear in the second half, using her leg to deflect her strike wide.
But she couldn't help where Barcelona most needed it: In the final meters in front of Arsenal's net.
“We played a bad first half and then when we improved, the ball just wouldn’t go in. That’s soccer,” Coll said. “Reaching a final is always a success. This is not a slump. I continue to completely believe in this team.”
Barcelona won nine straight in the competition and blew out Wolfsburg and English champion Chelsea in the knockout rounds. That is a big reason, along with the sixth consecutive Liga F title that Barcelona won this year, that Coll and her teammates pledge that they will be back and challenging for the Champions League title next season.
No double in Europe for Barcelona
The disappointment for its women’s team comes after its men’s side lost to Inter Milan in a Champions League semifinal that it was moments away from winning. Barcelona was eyeing a possible European triple after its under-19 men’s team won the UEFA Youth League.
Barcelona's women are 3-3 in Champions League finals. They beat Chelsea in 2021, Wolfsburg in 2023, and Lyon in 2024, but lost in 2019 and 2022, both times to Lyon.
Bonmatí's best effort against Arsenal’s disciplined defense met the leg of a defender. Forward Claudia Pina hit the bar early in the second half, but the high-octane attack failed to make a late push for an equalizer.
The world champion playmaker said her team will build on this loss.
“We weren’t at our best level, but we gave all we had. In situations like that, football sometimes punishes you,” Bonmatí said. “We need to push onwards and use what’s happened here to our benefit in the future.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
