How Arsenal shocked Barcelona to claim second Champions League title

The key tactical moments in Arsenal's sensational 1-0 victory over Barcelona

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It wasn’t until 20:15pm on Saturday that Arsenal fans finally started pouring out of the Estádio José Alvalade, one hour and 20 minutes after the final whistle had sounded in Lisbon. That was just the start of a party that would run long into the night on Pink Street and continue to Monday at the Emirates. The hastily arranged nature of the latter celebrations underlined that these were scenes that few expected Arsenal would have at all.

When previewing the game, The Cutback wrote that the Gunners would have to be at their best to even be competitive in the game, and to their immense credit, Renee Slegers’ side rose to the challenge. They made Barcelona look ordinary, limiting the former European champions to 0.9 expected goals (their joint-lowest ever xG figure on record) [FBref] and took their chance in the crucial moment.

Here’s a more detailed look at how Arsenal became champions of Europe for the second time.