Linköping to Lisbon: Blackstenius' journey to Arsenal's final hero

Sweden forward has a knack for scoring vital goals and her moment of glory comes as no surprise to former coaches

- Tom Garry

Of the many enduring images of Arsenal's celebrations after their Women's Champions League triumph against Barcelona, one in particular emphasised the magnitude and rarity of the contribution made by their goalscorer, Stina Blackstenius.

The Arsenal striker was photographed holding the trophy aloft alongside Alex Scott, scorer of the only goal in their previous European final 18 years earlier.

As the pair posed together, it hit home that Blackstenius had scored one of the two biggest goals in the club's history.

The 29-year-old Sweden striker's name will now be immortalised in Arsenal Women folklore and, despite predominantly playing as a substitute in the past two seasons, she has developed a knack for producing in the biggest moments, scoring the winning goal in both the 2023 and 2024 League Cup finals.

It might seem at odds with her Women's Super League return of five league goals this season - she has never hit double figures in the league for Arsenal in a campaign - but to those who have followed her career her success in Lisbon was no surprise.