Inside Arsenal's Champions League party, including a Jess Glynne concert - Yahoo Sport
A congratulatory speech from Josh Kroenke, an impromptu Jess Glynne concert and appearances from an array of beaming club legends featured on a night of jubilant celebration for Arsenal after they won their first women’s European title in 18 years.
At a private party in Lisbon that continued into the early hours of Sunday after the 1-0 win against Barcelona, the club’s co-chair Kroenke is understood to have delivered a passionate speech praising the full team effort that had contributed to the long‑awaited Women’s Champions League triumph, reserving special praise for the head coach, Renée Slegers, and the head of women’s football, Clare Wheatley, former Arsenal players.
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A large number of club legends were in attendance, including the goalscorer in their only previous women’s European final, Alex Scott. Other attenders included Arsenal’s 1989 title-winning hero Michael Thomas, their 2007 quadruple-winning former women’s manager Vic Akers and several former England players including Lianne Sanderson, Karen Carney and Jordan Nobbs, as well as the former Scotland centre-back Jen Beattie. An equally emotional group of club staff and the squad’s loved ones were also present.
As the drinks flowed, Glynne – Scott’s partner – performed live, to the delight of the attenders, with the Netherlands and Arsenal midfielder Victoria Pelova soon joining in a duet.
Arsenal remain the only British women’s club to have won the biggest prize in European women’s football. The party is expected to continue on Monday with more events planned in London.
Slegers and the England striker Alessia Russo were among several of the group who could be seen fighting back tears shortly after the final whistle at the Estádio José Alvalade.
Russo told reporters after the game: “I think everyone was crying. It means so much to us, to all of the people involved in this club, the fans, the backroom staff that you lot don’t see, our kitchen staff that we work with every day … That’s what we were playing for.”
About 5,000 Arsenal fans made the trip and they partied along Lisbon’s Pink Street before and after the game.
