THE LISBON LIONESS

ALL hail Katie McCabe and her brilliant display as Arsenal won the Champions League in Lisbon on Saturday night.

- BY DEREK FOLEY

The Kilnamanagh girl is the fourth Irish winner of the competition and hers was a particularly accomplished display.

Reward for a 29-year-old who has spent the best part of a decade in the Gunners dressing room and making over 160 appearances in that time, establishing herself as one of the most respected professionals in the WSL.

Irish fans may be more familiar with McCabe as the Ireland women's team captain — where there have been 96 caps and 29 goals, a forceful presence, combative and resourceful in adversity. But there was a calculated display at left-back for Arsenal against Barcelona on Saturday night as they worked off the lesser amount of possession before Stina Blackstenius gave them a 74th minute lead.

Something which led to Barcelona throwing bodies into the attack and Arsenal being forced to see off quarter-of-an-hour of concerted pressure, albit with resilience and unwavering discipline.

McCabe's importance at this point was highlighted and, indeed, as legendary Ireland star Olivia O'Toole points out, McCabe's achievement is remarkable.

There are those who have gone before - O'Toole herself, Anne O'Brien, Louise Quinn and Niamh Fahey, who have been outstanding but McCabe, in taking her chance as presented by the modern game, has proven herself a star.