Days after Ange triumph, more Aussies are gunning for ultimate glory in Women’s Champions League final

Three Australian players will compete in the final of the European Champions League this weekend.

Not too long ago, this would’ve been an absurd statement, but we now live in a world where a guy who used to manage South Melbourne in the National Soccer League can guide a Premier League side to a major European trophy.

The football eco-system has never been more connected and what was once the realm of video games like Football Manager is about to play out in real life for Arsenal stars Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross as they face the toughest test in women’s football – Barcelona – in Lisbon on Sunday morning Australian time.

Watch The UEFA Women’s Champions League Final LIVE on Kayo Sports | Arsenal vs Barcelona Sunday 25 May 2am AEST | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

“There is something special about Australians doing well on the world stage and I think, in particular European football, because I think anyone that knows world football knows how hard it is to be successful over here especially in the Champions League,” said Catley.

“I can definitely feel the love and support.

The trio will join Craig Johnston (Liverpool 1984), Alison Forman and Sharon Black (Fortuna Hjørring 2003), Harry Kewell (Liverpool 2005), Sam Kerr (Chelsea 2021) and Ellie Carpenter (2020, 2022 and 2024), as the only other Australians to have graced one of the game’s biggest stages.

“I’ve had so many messages from people saying that they’ll be up watching or that they’re actually coming over from Australia and they’re coming to watch the game in the stadium.” Catley said.

The barrier breaking feats means the defender need not look far for advice when it comes to managing one of the biggest moments of her career. Catley’s phone already contains a recently arrived message of support from Carpenter, whose Lyon side lost to Arsenal 5-3 on aggregate in a two-legged Champions League semi-final.

“I just looked at my phone before and I got a text message from her,” said Catley.

“She was basically jumping in early just to say good luck and it’s a really, really sweet message.

“I’ll probably pick her brain on a few things. She has obviously been there and done that and won it as well so I’m sure she has lots of tips for me.”

Those tips will be added to a litany of recent big game experiences. Lessons learned from the Matildas’ record breaking run at the Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2023, sit firmly at the front of Catley’s mind at a time like this.

“I think there’s moments in your football career that you can point to and say that’s probably the biggest moment of my career and a lot of those come during World Cups and you can’t get much more pressure than doing that on home soil,” she said.

“In some of those games that we did throughout that World Cup the pressure that you feel and how you deal with that and what you learn from those occasions it’s all invaluable.”

The man widely believed to be the next Matildas coach, current Lyon boss and another Australian Joe Montemurro, was responsible for bringing Catley to the Gunners in 2020. The journey to the biggest game in European football is a long way from the six-year-old who was the only girl in a team of boys at East Bentleigh Soccer Club in Victoria.

“When I was growing up, especially in Melbourne, I wouldn’t have had any idea that I could be where I am today.

“European football and the idea of the Champions League just wasn’t on the cards and all I knew at the time is that I loved football and I wanted to play, but the more that time went on I developed such a passion for the game that I knew I just wanted to get as far as I could and playing in the Champions League final, along with probably a World Cup final is as high as you can get.

“It’s a proud moment for me and looking back to that young girl it definitely puts a smile on my face.

“Particularly for young girls and boys in Australia if this is inspiring for them then they can look at it and genuinely think that any is possible and if they believe in themselves then they can get to the top.”

Watch The UEFA Women’s Champions League Final LIVE on Kayo Sports | Arsenal vs Barcelona Sunday 25 May 2am AEST | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

Nostaglia aside, the task facing Catley and her Arsenal teammates is the toughest in the women’s game as the club chases its first Champions League title in 18-years. Barcelona has made the final of this competition in each of the last four years and won it three times. It’s a side that boasts two-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, Fridolina Rolfo and Mapi Leon amongst an embarrassment of riches.

The Catalan club hammered Chelsea 4-1 in each leg of the semi-final; a scary thought given Chelsea finished 12-points clear of the Gunners at the top of the Women’s Super League ladder this season.

“It is a massive challenge,” said Catley.

“We obviously respect Barcelona a lot and what they’ve done over many years in the Champions League.

“They’ve obviously got some incredible players, but I think the team that we have, this season in particular, is very very resilient.”

It would be easy to assume that a team heading into a major European final on the back of a second placed finish domestically has had it easy.

This campaign, as Catley alludes to, has been far from smooth sailing for Arsenal.

Jonas Eidvall resigned as coach on the back of a 5-2 belting at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage and a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the space of three days in October last year.

Assistant Renee Slegers was handed the job full-time in January after a spell as an interim and the side lost just seven more games across all competitions for the rest of the season to this point.

“As a team the way we work for each other, particularly off the ball, it’s not like many teams in the world can do that.

“I think we showed that in the last couple of Champions League games where we had our backs against the wall, and we were able to overcome some pretty significant deficits.”

One of those deficits looked certain to cruel the moment the side is about to experience.

They looked anything but Champions League finalists in waiting after losing 2-1 to Lyon at home in the first leg of their semi-final but managed to turn it around with a stunning 4-1 victory in the second leg.

Back-to-back defeats in the Women’s Super League followed those heroics. Those two results account for half of the games the Gunners lost in the WSL all season.

“I think we’ve had a couple of dips in form in league football and its almost like we needed to have that in a way because we learned so much from those moments.

“I think this is a special team and we have a lot of belief in what we’re doing and in one another.

“So, I think that’s hard to play against.”

That resilience will be put to the test early Sunday morning Australian time.

You can watch the match live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports with coverage from 1:45am AEST.