Arsenal: Renee Slegers hails investment in women's football after Champions League final progress | OneFootball

Gunners staged a remarkable comeback to oust Lyon and tee up Barcelona showpiece in Lisbon on May 24

Triumph: Renee Slegers has led Arsenal to the Champions League football after only taking permanent charge in January

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The Gunners had gone into the game 2-1 down after losing the first leg late at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.

Arsenal will now face Barcelona in the final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on May 24 and head coach Slegers believes it is a just reward for the club given their investment in the women’s team.

“I’m very happy and, of course, very proud,” she said. “Because I think what the club have been doing for so long, investing in women’s football, and I think what we get to do now is something that’s been worked on for a long, long time.

“But, of course, what we’re doing in the moment, what the players are doing at the moment, it’s unbelievable.

“I’m so proud of the team, their investments and the work ethic and how they stayed calm because I think that was the biggest key for us, to stay calm in all the scenarios that would happen.

“I think we got challenged in a lot of different scenarios, but the players stayed calm and that was key. So, I’m very, very proud.

“Staff, all Arsenal people - this is the moment and this is what we do it for. It’s such a special moment.”

Arsenal have long been one of the clubs at the forefront of growing the women’s game.

The women’s side now play their home matches at the Emirates, averaging an attendance of around 30,000 fans, while the club have been ambitious in the transfer market, too.

The signing of Caldentey last summer from Barcelona is a testament to that and the midfielder is relishing a final against her old team.

“The fans were amazing as always and now the only thing I can say to them is that we will see them in Lisbon and hopefully we can have something to celebrate together,” she said.

“I normally don’t shoot that much from out of the box, and today it worked, so everyone was so happy for me. So I was happy to help the team. It was magic.”