Wolfsburg beat Arsenal 5-4 on aggregate and advanced to the Women’s Champions League final against Barcelona.
Finnish judge Lina Lehtovaara got to do his job on Monday amid a storm of screams at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Over 60,000 tickets were sold for the women’s Champions League semi-final between Arsenal and Wolfsburg, a new record for women’s club football in England. The previous record was just over 49,000 for the FA Cup final last year.
Lehtovaara was the main referee of the match. Lehtovaara, who whistled the final of the Women’s Champions League last year, has also been named as a referee for next summer’s Women’s World Cup.
Wolfsburg won the match extended to the follow-up match 3–2 and advances from the pair of matches to the final with 5–4 aggregate goals.
The hit that was the winning goal was seen in the 119th minute. Wolfsburg broke from above and Jule Brand snatched the ball on the wing from the Arsenal defence. Brand found with his concentration by Pauline Bremerwho moved the ball into the goal.
The teams’ first meeting in Germany ended in a 2–2 draw. Arsenal have never beaten Wolfsburg in a head-to-head match.
Arsenal took the lead in the 11th minute when the Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius rushed past the Wolfsburg defense and the goalkeeper at the end of the counterattack by Merle Frohms. Jill Roord equalized 1–1 from a free kick at the end of the first half.
German star Alexandra Popp scored Wolfsburg’s 2–1 goal by Felicitas Rauch from a corner kick. To the delight of the spectators, Arsenal equalized twenty minutes later from the aftermath of a free kick, when Jennifer Beattie the header sank into the goal.
Wolfsburg have two Champions League wins in 2012–13 and 2013–14. The team lost in the final to Olympique Lyonnais in 2020 and 2018. Arsenal has won the previous women’s UEFA Cup in 2006–07.
In the final match, Wolfsburg will face Barcelona, who are playing in the final for the third time in a row, who defeated Chelsea 2–1 in their own semi-final. Last year, Barcelona lost the final match to the French Olympique Lyonnais 1–3. Two years ago, Barcelona celebrated the championship by defeating Chelsea 4-0.
The final will be played on June 3 in Eindhoven, Holland.