'I'm in disbelief' — McCabe drops F-bomb then lifts Champions League as Arsenal triumph
GLORY GIRL: Katie McCabe of Arsenal celebrates with the UEFA Women's Champions League trophy after the UEFA Women's Champions League final match between Arsenal and Barcelona at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Pedro Loureiro/Sportsfile
Katie McCabe and Arsenal bridged 18 years of history to seal a sensational Champions League triumph as the Ireland captain and her side dethroned Barcelona in a nail-biting final in Lisbon.
McCabe's delirium got the better of her when she dropped an F-bomb in a post-match interview with TNT Sports as she toasted a first European title in her 10th season with the Gunners.
Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius climbed off the bench to strike the only game in a tense, tight affair at Estadio Jose Alvalade as the Gunners became the continent's queens for the first time since 2007.
😍 STINA STINGS BARÇA
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 24, 2025
Beth Mead sees Blackstenius, sets her up, and Arsenal lead 1-0!
📺 Watch the UEFA Women's Champions League FINAL LIVE & FREE on DAZN!
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"I'm just in disbelief to be honest. Well, no I believe it, because we suffered together today," said McCabe, the Tricolour draped across her shoulders, after 90-plus energy-sapping minutes on the left side of a resilient defence.
"Barcelona threw absolutely everything at us and we f***ing...sorry! We kept together and we rode it out, we rode the storm. Stina got the goal in the end and it's unbelievable. Unbelievable to give this to our fans, our family, the players that have been here for so long. It's an unbelievable day for the club.
"Words got thrown around during the week, underdogs. But we deserve to be in this final. We've been in it right from the very start, having to qualify the tournament. We had some difficult results in the group stage but we bounced back. In the knockout rounds we kept going, kept being resilient and persisting."
"It's an unbelievable day for the club" ✨
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 24, 2025
Katie McCabe reflects on a career-defining achievement for Arsenal Women as UWCL champions.
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The Gunners remain the only English side to have lifted the Women's Champions League trophy, having also done it 18 years ago as part of their quadruple-winning season in 2007.
Arsenal had a first-half opener disallowed, but resolutely fended off waves of attack from the Liga F champions before Renee Slegers introduced Blackstenius and England forward Beth Mead.
It proved a prescient decision by the Dutch boss after the pair combined in the 74th minute at the home of Sporting Lisbon to emphatically ink their names in the history books.
About 5,000 Arsenal fans made the trip as part of the club's official travelling delegation, though more red shirts could be spotted in general admission.
Co-owner Josh Kroenke flew over from America, joining an executive contingent that also included executive vice-chair Tim Lewis, managing director Richard Garlick and director of women's football Clare Wheatley.
The guests of honour also included members of that quadruple-winning side and current Lionesses, including Paris St Germain goalkeeper Mary Earps, who could be seen on social media wearing the Arsenal shirt of England team-mate Alessia Russo.
The Women's Super League runners-up swerved danger a few times early on, losing control of the ball inside their 18-yard box, but there were a couple of chances, too - Caitlin Foord misdirecting a header before trying to set up Chloe Kelly on the volley, the Manchester City loanee's effort clearing the bar.
The ball was in the back of the Barcelona net just after Slegers appeared to encourage her side to settle down, but the 21st-minute own goal - which had been charged to Irene Paredes - was chalked off after VAR determined Frida Maanum had been offside in the build-up.
The Gunners kept pressing, coming close again when Cata Coll tipped Maanum's effort from 25 yards out over the bar.
Barca began to reassert themselves, Daphne van Domselaar called into action to deny Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati, but the deadlock remained intact at the break after Arsenal stayed resolute in defence against an increasingly-agile Barca attack that piled on more pressure after the restart.
Claudia Pina twice tried to break the deadlock, clipping the crossbar with a deflected effort early on, former Manchester United full-back Ona Batlle rifled just wide of the right post, then Batlle whistled an effort from distance over the bar just after the hour before Ewa Pajor nodded marginally over.
But it was Blackstenius, who had already been denied by Coll, who finally opened the scoring seven minutes after she replaced Maanum in the 67th minute, picked out with a brilliant reverse pass from fellow substitute Mead, before swivelling and firing across the Barca keeper into the bottom corner.
England captain Leah Williamson's vital nodded clearance denied Barca a chance to level from a late corner.
Her side then heeded Slegers' call to fight bravely, seeing out seven minutes of stoppage time and denying Barca the chance to become just the second team to win the competition for three successive seasons.
van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe, Little, Caldentey, Kelly (Mead 68), Maanum (Blackstenius 67), Foord (Hurtig 86), Russo (Wubben-Moy 90). Zinsberger, Williams, Codina, Walti, Pelova, Nighswonger, Ilestedt, Cooney-Cross.
Kelly.
Blackstenius 74.
Barcelona: Coll, Batlle, Paredes, Leon (Engen 79), Rolfo (Brugts 79), Bonmati, Guijarro, Putellas, Hansen, Pajor, Pina (Paralluelo 62). Gemma Font, Roebuck, Fernandez, Torrejon, Lopez, Cano, Schertenleib, Serrajordi, Pujols.
Paredes, Paralluelo.
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