Wolfsburg beat Arsenal to reach final

German club will play Barcelona for Women’s Champions League title after 5-4 aggregate win

LONDON:

Wolfsburg will play Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final after Pauline Bremer's last-gasp winner sealed a dramatic victory against Arsenal on Monday.

The Germans won 3-2 in the semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium as Bremer's goal in the closing seconds of extra time sealed a 5-4 aggregate success.

Stina Blackstenius put Arsenal ahead, with Jill Roord and Alexandra Popp netting for Wolfsburg before Jennifer Beattie levelled for the Gunners, setting the stage for Bremer's decisive goal.

Barcelona, who beat Chelsea in the other semi-final, lie in wait for Wolfsburg in the final at Eindhoven's PSV Stadium on June 3.

Wolfsburg, who beat Arsenal in last season's quarter-finals, are back in the final for the first time since losing the showpiece to Lyon in 2020.

"It was a tough game. I thought it was going to go to penalties but we won," Roord said.

"Credit to Arsenal, they've been through a lot as a team but they made it super hard. At the end they could have won, we could have won. We were the lucky ones."

Arsenal are the only Women's Super League club to have won the Women's Champions League, lifting the trophy in 2007.

But their hopes of another crack at the trophy were dashed in the most painful fashion.

The Gunners had battled back to draw the first leg 2-2 in Germany despite trailing by two goals after just 24 minutes.

Yet Jonas Eidevall's side were ravaged by injuries to Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Leah Williamson, Caitlin Foord and Kim Little and the attrition eventually took its toll.

"It's tough. No doubt about it, because it was a game of such fine margins and they're not on our side tonight," Eidevall said.

"But I also choose to look at it that we came to the Champions League semi-final with all the injuries we have, with all the challenges we have. That is actually incredible."

In front of a sold-out Emirates crowd of more than 60,000 – a record attendance for a women's club match in England – Arsenal took the lead in the 11th minute.

Blackstenius forced the mistake from Kathrin Hendrich with her tenacious pressing and applied the finishing touch after rounding the keeper.

Manuela Zinsberger preserved Arsenal's advantage when she palmed away a fierce long-range strike from Lynn Wilms.

But Wolfsburg had the momentum and Roord equalised in the 41st minute, curling into the far corner from the edge of the area after Popp headed down a free-kick.

Wolfsburg's pressure paid off again as Popp put them ahead in the 58th minute.

Felicitas Rauch's corner was met by a glancing header from the Wolfsburg captain that flashed past Zinsberger.

Beattie forced extra time when she equalised in the 75th minute with a clinical header from Wubben-Moy's cross.

But with a penalty shoot-out just seconds away, Wolfsburg booked their final berth as Jule Brand's cross was turned in by Bremer.