A final lost due to the duel between the two benches: the hot notes from Arsenal vs. Barça women's match

BarcelonaYou can't always win, and you can't always dominate. Barça was left with a sliver of courage against a great Arsenal side that knew how to read the game at every turn until delivering the final blow in the second half, just when it seemed the Catalans had already taken control of the final. It wasn't Aitana's, Alexia's, or Salma's day. The final was played in English. And the question is... what now?

Trying to be positive... It's hard to be positive after a defeat like this, but we can try. If Barça were to win every game, every title, and every final with a certain advantage every season, it wouldn't help strengthen a football played by women, which continues to make steady progress. Knowing these players, the defeat in Lisbon will encourage them to strike back next season. Losing is always bad news, but perhaps it will also help everyone appreciate what Barça has achieved so far. Nobody gave anything away, and the opponents play their part too.

The bench, key. Arsenal played a very complete match, especially in the first half, in which they managed to defuse Barça's best players. To understand the London team's triumph, one must surely look at the bench, where Dutchman Renée Slegers shone, outplaying Pere Romeu. Barça had more talent and experience, but the Lisbon final was played more as desired by a modern and methodical coach who has improved the play of almost all her players, redesigning Mariona's position, for example.

A blue and garnet tide. For Barça fans, the best thing was seeing thousands of people making the trip to Lisbon. Seeing how there were more Catalans than English, in a positive, brotherly atmosphere. An entire generation of Barça fans has grown up following these players, and now that a painful defeat has arrived, the fans will surely not let them down. Now, it's always necessary to be on the alert. In recent years, the women's team has brought European joy when the men's team couldn't. Now that Flick's team is getting going, it's time to support the women's team more than ever. They've earned it.

A lamentable schedule. You still find many angry men, who believe that radical feminism takes too much care of women and gives them the all-clear. Holy patience, when UEFA can't guarantee a decent time slot for the most important match of the year: the Champions League final. The ruling elite in football can't even guarantee a blocked time slot, without league matches, so everyone can watch the final. They can't guarantee a kickoff without a pitch half-darkened by the shadows of the stands, as if it were just any other match. There's still a long way to go.