How Arsenal's comeback queens achieved the unthinkable
Tears rolling down her face, remnants of gold and red confetti still visible in the background, Arsenal manager Renee Slegers could barely believe what she had just witnessed.
Moments earlier, her side lifted the Women's Champions League trophy for the first time in 18 years, having won 1-0 in Lisbon to stun European giants Barcelona.
It was an achievement that was barely conceivable nine months ago when Slegers was Arsenal's assistant manager and they had lost the first leg of their second qualifying round tie with BK Hacken.
The glory was hard to comprehend and Slegers, usually so composed, could not prevent the outpouring of emotion.
Underdogs defying the odds
Memories of Arsenal's historic victory in 2007 have dominated newspapers this week, while Slegers' side joined members of that squad for lunch to reminisce on the special occasion.
They defied the odds back then and knew it would take a near-miracle in Portugal to claim a second title, seeking out inspiration in preparation.
Arsenal finished third in the Women's Super League last season, meaning they had to come through three rounds of qualifying.
They are the first team in Women's Champions League history to play 15 games before lifting the trophy.
Written off, titled the "underdogs" - even Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati admitted she was "surprised" Arsenal had overcome Lyon in the semi-finals - few really gave Slegers' side a chance against the defending champions.
With just one win in their opening four WSL matches of the season, their European hopes under threat with defeat by Bayern Munich and a growing sense of unrest among the fanbase, former manager Jonas Eidevall had no choice but to step down.
Players Katie McCabe and Leah Williamson have this week praised the Dutchwoman for "steadying the ship" at a time when things were rocky.
The atmosphere at Arsenal was far from positive, players needed a lift and Slegers had a big task ahead to turn things around. And turn things around she did.
A 4-1 win over Valerenga got them started in the group stages and the results just kept following.
Slegers took interim charge in October and it took the club until mid-January to announce her as manager on a permanent basis after going unbeaten in her first 11 games in charge - winning 10 and drawing one.
As the season progressed, Arsenal's juggernaut gained momentum and the Gunners reached the knockout stages of the Champions League.
They took on the mantle of 'comeback queens' after falling to first leg defeats against both Real Madrid and Lyon in the quarter and semi-finals respectively, but against all odds they turned things around to book their place in Saturday's final.
Slegers and her side had already won in some ways - just getting to the final had seemed out of their reach and as she stated in her pre-final programme notes they had "done some magical things" to get there.
Arsenal rolled out the red carpet for the event as co-owner Josh Kroenke flew in from Denver and was alongside executive vice-chair Tim Lewis, managing director Richard Garlick and director of women's football Clare Wheatley in Lisbon.
Club legends were invited to join them, academy players sat in the stands looking on at their potential futures and around 4,500 fans travelled from London.
Supporters had gathered on Pink Street, a vibrant painted road near Lisbon's harbour, decorated with colour and punctuated with noise.
Even England goalkeeper Mary Earps had flown in, sporting an Arsenal shirt with her good friend Alessia Russo's name on the back.
They were all here for a party but few had dared to dream of victory.
How they achieved the unthinkable
Their task was to overcome a Barcelona side chasing a third successive European title, a team that has been widely branded as the best domestic side in the world and boasted potential Ballon d'Or winners in almost every position.
Barcelona rocked up full of confidence - understandably so - and went about their business as usual. This was nothing new, nothing special, just another final.
Arsenal however, had been growing in confidence under Slegers.
Those at the club speak of Slegers' calming influence, how she instilled a sense of empowerment and brought out the best of each of her players.
They have spoken about feeling "free" and being able to express themselves - most of the pre-match media conference comments from Russo and captain Kim Little centred around their "togetherness" and "belief".
Slegers is meticulous in her planning. Little said they had tried to replicate Barcelona's movements in training to work out how to combat it. Several times they failed, until they found the solution.
"It was the perfect execution of a gameplan which as a footballer, is one of the best things," said Little.
"It showed in our performance. How we approached the game was very controlled and then we had little pointers of belief as we knew we would need that."
Slegers did her homework. Earlier in the week she spoke with Emma Hayes - the assistant manager at Arsenal in 2007 - someone who has been to battle with Barcelona on numerous occasions while at Chelsea.
She had conversations with 2007-winning manager Vic Akers, while her staff analysed all three of Barcelona's midfielders individually, working out the strengths and weaknesses of Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Patri.
"There are not a lot of weaknesses at Barcelona. They are on a very high level. We looked at how we could exploit it in the best way possible," said Slegers.
"We used all possible tools to disrupt them but stay close to what we wanted to do. The game management was key to why we won."
'It means so much for the future'
Despite all they have achieved against the odds this season, Slegers says the "scary thing" is that she believes there is more to come.
"It means so much for everyone who has built towards this but it also means so much for the future," she added.
"It motivates us and it shows what we are capable of. If you are part of Arsenal you go for trophies. That is what we want to do."
Little admitted it may take days for their achievements to sink in but the reality of their success could hit home on Monday with the club planning celebrations with fans outside Emirates Stadium.
Their fanbase has developed significantly in the 18 years it has taken Arsenal to replicate their European success and it gives them a platform to build on.
With attendances averaging 29,000 at Emirates Stadium, the club is planning for all their home Women's Super League matches to be held there next season.
It would be the next step in their growth to expand women's football with Arsenal's hierarchy hoping they can use it as a draw to recruit talent in the transfer window.
They have looked at their recruitment strategy - which has struggled at times to compete with WSL champions Chelsea's financial power - employing four lead scouts to cover more of the global talent pool.
They identified a crack in their pathway which has stunted the breakthrough of some of their academy talent and are now looking to use the loan system more efficiently.
But victory in Lisbon is a tangible example of what can be achieved when everything comes together - and Arsenal have no intentions of standing still.
(Source:BBC)
