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The “best moment” of her career is, according to Arsenal captain Kim Little, while Renee Slegers, the club’s manager, thinks this is just the beginning.

The only goal was scored in the Lisbon final as Arsenal defeated reigning champions Barcelona 1-0.

The only English women’s side that won the title in 2007 is now champions of Europe, adding to that success.

Little remarked, “This felt like our year.” “It’s truly special to win the most trophies.”

It’s undoubtedly my career’s best experience. To still be at the club and see how much the women’s game has advanced since I signed a year after they won in 2007, is very special.

The Gunners’ first qualifying round in September, when they began the competition, could not have anticipated winning this trophy.

Their 15th rollercoaster campaign came to an end in the final.

Jonas Eidevall’s final European game came in the humiliating 5-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in October, with Slegers moving up from assistant coach first as interim manager before being hired on a full-time basis in January.

She said, “It’s been a fantastic time.” We’ve gone through so many difficult times together and there are so many things that have happened. Our collective resistance has always been growing, with more people believing.

In the midst of the celebrations on the pitch, Little and England captain Leah Williamson lifted the trophy together, one after the other.

It was a special moment at the club she has always supported, for Williamson, who held the Women’s Euros trophy aloft three years ago after England defeated Germany 2-1 at Wembley.

Williamson, a 10-year-old, was one of the mascots for the second leg of Arsenal’s title match against Swedish side Umea in 2007.

The now-28-year-old said, “Eighteen years is a long time to wait for something.” I’ve already won every domestic trophy with Arsenal, which makes me proud of it personally.

We arrived to make a job, and we did it, and we are now bringing home the trophy. I broke the scoreboard three times, and I have a rule prohibiting peer review.

Arsenal was heavily under pressure for a large portion of the final thanks to Barcelona, who have won the competition twice in the previous two seasons.

The 67th minute introduction of Beth Mead and Blackstenius, however, proved crucial as the England forward set up the Swede for the winning goal.

An emotional Mead, who celebrated with her family, cried out, “There were lots of happy tears.” I’m pleased that we did it and that we ended up with my dad.

Jen Beattie, a former Arsenal defender, said: “Arsenal entered this as a complete underdog.” You’re referring to a team that has won the last two Champions Leagues, stormed to the final, and had incredible overall results against Chelsea and Bayern Munich, who both had incredible overall results this year.

You are cementing your place in history by winning the Champions League. They will erupt into legend.

Izzy Christiansen, a former England international, said, “I honestly couldn’t be happier for Arsenal. This is a remarkable accomplishment.

“To execute the gameplan to the highest level of measurement against the European champions.” Both the quality and the processes were present. They created Barcelona, which was impossible to imagine, and they destroyed it.

Arsenal fought like real warriors, and this is the most incredible tale. Every bit of this is due to them. Nobody will accept the effects that will be made.

Karen Carney, a member of the 2007 champion Arsenal side, hoped the Gunners’ most recent success would inspire younger generations.

She said, “Possibly this group has convinced the next little girl that she can enter and compete in the Champions League.”

On Monday, an event at Armoury Square will commemorate Arsenal’s victory.

Ian Wright, a former Arsenal striker, claimed the feat had “saved the club” from the men’s side’s embarrassment in 2024-2005.

We need something to celebrate, he continued. They must of course have a parade, too.

No one gave them a chance, they said. Even I predicted a difficult situation.

“They]Barcelona] score four goals per game,” they say.

In the end, there was only one goal, but we had to score more to ensure we could beat them. Everyone disapproved of them. They merit every accolade and every accolade they receive.

Chloe Kelly remarked that her difficult season had come down from a real low to a real high before considering taking a break from football.

Kelly’s victory in the Champions League final on Saturday gave the Gunners a first European title in 18 years as they defeated holders Barcelona.

After struggling for game time with Manchester City, the England international made just one start in the WSL before making a deadline day loan move to north London. She joined the Gunners’ youth ranks in 2010 and 2015, and was given a chance to return.

In a social media post, she claimed she “wanted to be happy again,” and former City Manager Gareth Taylor called it “really disappointing” how Kelly’s bitter transfer saga ended.

An emotional Kelly told BBC Sport’s Jo Currie, “I said I was coming to this club to find happiness with football and I have a medal round my neck.” I’m smiling every day I enter the club. I’m forever grateful for the smile they gave me back.

I made the decision to improve my situation, and I’m grateful for those who stood in for me. Everyone who assisted me in doing that should have this one.

Since rejoining Arsenal, Kelly has scored twice in 13 games.

She now has to celebrate her victory in Lisbon with Saturday’s victory, helping the Gunners to finish second overall in the WSL.

Kelly, who scored England’s winning goal in the Euro 2022 final, “up there,” “up there,” “up there,” “up there,” “up there.” It’s undoubtedly a battle to get here because of the journey it took.

“I’m just really grateful right now to celebrate this moment with the girls, Arsenal Football Club, and my family, who have been there through the rough times,” I said.

Before her January move, Kelly questioned whether a break from football was a viable option. I don’t think people are able to comprehend the emotions that occasionally enter people’s minds.

We’re here now, and we’re on the other side of it, they say, it’s difficult to explain. Football is a game with highs, lows, and other factors in between. I’m very appreciative of Renee Slegers, from a real low to a real high.

“Thank you for this opportunity,” I said to Renee after we defeated Lyon in the semi-final.

Kelly’s contract at City expires in June, and she won’t be able to switch to a loan until the season’s end.

Arsenal manager Renee Slegers couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed, with gold and red confetti still visible in the background and tears streaming down her face.

Her side won the Women’s Champions League title just before the break when they stunned European giants Barcelona with a 1-0 victory in Lisbon. It was the first time in 18 years.

When Slegers was assistant manager of Arsenal when they lost the first leg of their second qualifying round tie with BK Hacken, it was hardly conceivable.

This week, Slegers’ side joined members of Arsenal’s historic victory for lunch to reflect on the occasion, which has been dominating newspapers for the past few days.

They defied the odds at the time, looking for inspiration in preparation, and knew a second title would require a near-miracle in Portugal.

Due to having to complete three rounds of qualifying, Arsenal finished third in the Women’s Super League last year.

The women’s Champions League team has won the trophy for the first time in the history of 15 games.

Few really gave Slegers’ side a chance against the defending champions, despite the title-winning goalkeeper Aitana Bonmati admitting she was “surprised” that Arsenal had defeated Lyon in the semi-finals.

Former manager Jonas Eidevall had no choice but to quit after only one win in their first four WSL games of the season, leaving their European hopes in jeopardy by Bayern Munich, and growing fan unrest.

This week, Katie McCabe and Leah Williamson, the team’s players, praised the Dutchwoman for “steadying the ship” during a difficult time.

Slegers had a big task ahead of them, and the atmosphere at Arsenal was far from positive. Players needed a lift. And she did, turning things around.

They entered the group stages with a 4-1 victory over Valerenga, and the results just kept coming.

After going unbeaten in her first 11 games under her leadership, winning 10 and drawing one, Slegers took over as interim manager in October, which took the club until mid-January.

Arsenal’s juggernaut gained momentum as the season progressed, and the Gunners advanced to the Champions League knockout stages.

Slegers and her team had already beaten each other in some ways; it appeared impossible for them to reach the final, and they had, as she stated in her pre-final program notes, “done some magical things” to do so.

Co-owner Josh Kroenke flew in from Denver to Lisbon, along with executive vice-chair Tim Lewis, managing director Richard Garlick, and director of women’s football Clare Wheatley.

Around 4,500 fans travelled from London to join them, academy players sat in the stands watching their potential futures, and club legends were invited to join them.

On Pink Street, a vibrant painted road close to Lisbon’s harbor, which was filled with color and noise, supporters had gathered.

Even Mary Earps, the England goalkeeper, had flown in with an Arsenal shirt with the name Alessia Russo’s name on the back.

Their task was to defeat a Barcelona side that was chasing a third successive European title, a team that had potential Ballon d’Or winners in almost every position and been widely criticized as the best domestic team in the world.

Barcelona ran their usual business as usual and emerged with a lot of confidence, which is understandable. Nothing about this was novel, nothing unusual, just another final.

However, Slegers had encouraged Arsenal’s confidence.

Slegers’ soothing influence, how she instilled a sense of empowerment and brought out the best in each of her players, are well known at the club.

They have spoken about being “free” and expressing their feelings; most of Russo and Kim Little’s pre-game comments focused on their “togetherness” and “belief.”

Slegers’ planning is thorough. Little claimed that they had tried to mimic Barcelona’s movements while training to learn how to combat it. They repeatedly failed before coming up with the solution.

Little, a football player, described it as the “perfect execution of a gameplan.”

Our performance demonstrated it. We had little faith in our approach because we knew we would need that, so our approach was very controlled.

Slegers did her homework. She spoke with assistant manager at Arsenal in 2007 Emma Hayes, who has faced Barcelona numerous times while at Chelsea, earlier this week.

While her staff assessed each of Barcelona’s midfielders individually, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, and Patri, she had conversations with 2007-winning manager Vic Akers.

“Barcelona has a lot of weaknesses,” he said. They are very high-level. Slegers remarked, “We looked at how we could exploit it in the best way possible.”

Slegers claims that the “scary thing” is that she believes there is more to come despite everything they have accomplished this season despite the odds.

She continued, “It means a lot to everyone who has worked toward this, but it also means a lot to the future.”

It inspires us and demonstrates our abilities. You can win trophies if you play for Arsenal. That is what we intend to accomplish.

Little acknowledged that it may take a few days for their accomplishments to fully come to light, but the club may plan celebrations with fans outside Emirates Stadium on Monday.

In the 18 years it took Arsenal to replicate their success in Europe, their fan base has grown significantly, giving them a foundation to build on.

The club plans to play all of its home Women’s Super League games at Emirates Stadium in the coming season with attendances of averaging 29 000.

The Arsenal hierarchy hopes to use the draw to attract talent in the transfer window as the next step in their expansion of women’s football.

Employing four lead scouts to cover more of the global talent pool, they have examined their hiring strategy, which has struggled at times with WSL champions Chelsea’s financial power.

They are now evaluating how to use the loan system more effectively after discovering a flaw in their pipeline that has prevented some of their academy talent’s advancement.

Ekow Essuman’s shock defeat in Josh Taylor’s first fight in the welterweight division in Glasgow raised serious questions about the former undisputed world champion’s future.

Essuman grew into the fight and came out on top to win the decision on all three judges’ scorecards, even though Taylor had the Englishman hurt initially.

The 34-year-old Scot’s career-best victory leaves him with questions over what lies ahead for him.

Taylor was looking to rekindle some momentum in a career that had stagnated after defeating Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas to become the UK’s first and still the only undisputed champion of the four-belt era.

He won a massive ovation from the Glasgow crowd, where so many of his greatest nights have taken place, and started off strong by catching his 36-year-old opponent with some good shots.

In the third round, Essuman capitalized on those skills and advanced quickly, sending a big right to Taylor’s head back and announcing his intention to fight.

The explosive fourth followed. With a peach-sized shot, Taylor reversed Essuman, who was then able to wobble Taylor with a straight right hand.

The pace slowed significantly in the middle rounds, but in the seventh round, possibly due to a head-collision, a nasty cut cut cut Taylor’s left eye.

In the eighth inning, Essuman was strong, backing Taylor up and filling in any gaps in his defense, encouraged by the sight of blood pouring down his opponent’s face.

The underdog was picking his best strikes, though Taylor’s more impressive work may have just overtaken the ninth.

As Taylor appeared to be tired, Essuman’s right hand repeatedly found the bullseye in the 10th.

The home crowd’s desire to rouse their hero for one last effort appeared to be crucial, so neither fighter could land the decisive blow.

Moses Itauma, a heavyweight prospect, showed yet another example of his extraordinary strength as he rose quickly. The 20-year-old forced a second-round stoppage after flooring American Mike Balogun three times.

The undercard featured plenty of Scottish interest, not the least of which was the eagerly awaited featherweight fight between Lee McGregor and Nathaniel Collins.

Glasgow fighter Collins dropped his Edinburgh rival three times, with McGregor’s corner clinching the end in round four, which was widely anticipated.

Reese Lynch, a former world champion at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, made an impressive entrance with a second-round stoppage of Jonatas de Oliveira.

With a devastating first-round defeat to Reece Porter, Aston Brown won the title of new Scottish middleweight champion.

In a four-round contest, former world champion Robbie Chapman defeated his son, also named Alex Arthur, to make his professional debut.

On the other hand, Drew Limond, the late Willie Limond, won. Ezequiel Gregores, an Argentine fighter, defeated the 19-year-old in four rounds.

Bayern Munich are interested in Joao Pedro, Liverpool and Newcastle are interested in Joao Pedro, and Manchester United are prepared to sign Eberechi Eze as a Florian Wirtz replacement.

After relocating to Liverpool-bound Germany attacker Florian Wirtz, 22, they are considering moving for Crystal Palace and England international Eberechi Eze, 26. (Mirror)

As Liverpool prepare to conclude a deal for the playmaker, Liverpool have offered Wirtz a contract worth more than £320, 000 per week. (Sky Sports Switzerland, in French)

Bayern Munich, the champions of the Bundesliga, is interested in AC Milan’s 25-year-old Portugal forward Rafael Leao and Brighton and Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma, 28. (Mirror)

In the coming weeks, Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will complete a move to Serie A champions Napoli. (Mail)

Joao Pedro, a 23-year-old Brazilian forward, will face Liverpool and Newcastle in a game-changing match. (Talksport)

England winger Jack Grealish’s future at Manchester City has been in doubt since being drafted for Fulham’s final game of the season. (Telegraph requires a subscription)

Ruben Amorim, the manager of Manchester United, has confirmed to his players that he will remain at Old Trafford. (Athletic – A subscription required)

One of six first-team players who will leave Manchester United this summer is Portugal’s 30-year-old attacker Captain Bruno Fernandes. Football Insider

Rasmus Hojlund, a 22-year-old Danish striker, is another player who has been offered a job at Manchester United. (GiveMeSport)

Luka Modric, a 39-year-old Croatian midfielder who has stated his intention to leave Real Madrid this summer, is wanted by Inter Milan. (Fichajes – Spanish)

Liverpool’s 22-year-old English defender Jarell Quansah is one of the transfer targets for Nottingham Forest. Football Insider

When Victor Lindelof’s contract expires at the end of the season, the Manchester United defender will step down as a free agent. (Romano-Fabrizio)

Atletico Madrid and Argentina right-back Nahuel Molina, 27, will compete with Napoli, Juventus, and Roma for the title. (Marca, via Sportwitness)