Matildas despair as Arsenal miss out on European final

Europe's premier women's club match will be without Australian representation for the first time in three years after Arsenal narrowly missed out on a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League final.

Steph Catley was part of a Gunners side that kept a UK women's club record crowd of 60,063 gripped by a semi-final second-leg that was tied at 4-4 on aggregate with two minutes of the extra period left.

Watching from the sidelines was fellow Matilda Caitlin Foord whose hamstring injury, suffered a month ago, should have eased in time for the final in Eindhoven on June 3.

That will not matter now, though Arsenal still need her back as they have qualification for next season's competition to chase.

It will be German champions Wolfsburg facing Barcelona, who edged past Sam Kerr's Chelsea in the other semi-final last week, after Pauline Bremer snatched an 118th-minute winner.

Arsenal, who were also missing England Euro 2022-winning stars Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, captain Kim Little and Dutch goal ace Vivianne Miedema, came into the tie all-square after coming back from 2-0 down in Germany last week.

Their Matildas duo were hoping to become only the fifth and sixth Australians to play in a Women's Champions League final. 

Trailblazers Alison Forman and Sharon Black played for Denmark's Fortuna Hjorring. More recently Kerr played for Chelsea against Barcelona in 2021 and Ellie Carpenter for Lyon against the Catalan giants last year.

Of that quartet only Carpenter finished on the winning side, and hers was a bittersweet win as she ruptured her ACL early in the match.

Arsenal took an 11th-minute early lead through Stina Blackstenius, the Swede capitalising on an error by Kathryn Henrich. But former Gunner Jill Roord levelled shortly before the break, turning in a shot from the edge of the area.

Veteran Alex Popp put Wolfsburg ahead shortly before the hour with a near-post header from a corner, but Jen Beattie headed Arsenal level to force extra-time. 

As penalties loomed Bremer silenced all but the tiny pocket of away fans after Lotte Wubben-Moy lost possession playing out from the back.

"It is tough," said Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall. "We are allowed to feel hurt and empty but also proud of the performance and the occasion with the supporters.

"I told [Wubben-Moy] to keep her head high," added Eidevall. "Mistakes happen in football."

The sell-out gate at the Emirates beat the 49,094 who attended last year's Women's FA Cup final, and also the unofficial record of 53,000 who saw the pioneering Dick, Kerr Ladies play at Everton's Goodison Park on Boxing Day 1920.