🧠 Food for Thought - Big-Game Stina: The Big Games That Made Blackstenius Club Legend.
- John Maurice Otieno
- Sep 3
- 6 min read
Did you know Stina Blackstenius has scored in every cup final she's played in for Arsenal?
When the Swede joined our ranks the winter of 2022, she'd already won two Damallsvenskan league titles and three domestic Cups across stints with BK Häcken and Linköping FC. Perhaps the signs were glaringly obvious. North London was gaining a big-game player.
She finished 2021 as the top scorer in her homeland with 17 goals, before going on to top our goal-scoring charts in back-to-back seasons with 18 goals in each of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns. With 53 goals in 123 appearances for The Arsenal, Stina averages a goal roughly every 2.3 games, with a nice chunk of those being what would be termed as "big games".
The new season kicks off this weekend, but ahead of our WSL opener against newly promoted London City Lionesses, I thought we'd look back at some of the big-time classics that perhaps earned our No. 25 the Club Legend status.
1. Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United - Barclays WSL [05/02/2022].
Both our current strikers - Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius - scored in this hotly contested tie, but for opposing teams. Russo's 10th minute strike at the back post from a United corner kick carved a dent in our title hopes in what was Jonas Eidevall's first season.
Things went from bad to worse when Katie McCabe (or McCard as I often affectionately call her) got sent off for a second yellow card offense in the 75th minute.
With all looking doom and gloom, down to 10 players, and with just 10 minutes to go, former Gunner, Vivianne Miedema - playing as a No. 10 - threaded a precise through-ball for the always willing in-behind runner, Blackstenius, who fired past an onrushing Mary Earps to bag her first Gunners' goal and rescue a vital point that put us 5 clear of Chelsea in the title race.
2. Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City - Barclays WSL [05/11/2023].
After a turbulent start to the season, we went into this big fixture knowing anything other than three points would stunt the momentum we'd started to garner and see us fall further behind in the title race.
A positive start saw the "Ausenal" connection yield the opener as an under-pressure, back-to-goal, Caitlyn Foord, found an unmarked fellow Matilda, Steph Catley, in the box as she finished first time. City didn't relent, though, and that pressure told in the form of a late Chloe Kelly equalizer in the 72nd minute.
With 5 goals in 8 appearances against them, the blue half of Manchester must be sick at the sight of Blackstenius who did indeed go on to have the last laugh in this fixture yet again.
Coming on with 15 minutes to go, the Swede troubled City's backline with her trademark runs in behind and with just 3 minutes of normal time to go, McCabe played a long ball over the top for our runner and after Khiara Keating miscued her clearance, Stina went round her to slot into the empty net, giving us all three points and moving us up the WSL table, level on points with the title-contending Cityzens.
3. Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea - League Cup Final [05/03/2023].
The previous campaign had seen Chelsea pip us to the WSL title by a solitary point and after knocking us out of the FA Cup in the weekend prior, all the momentum appeared to be with the Blues going into this derby cup final.
Indeed, Sam Kerr nodded in at the back post just 2 minutes into the contest to leave us a mountain to climb. And climbed we did!
Blackstenius was brought down in the middle of the park and Captain Kim Little quickly took the resultant free kick. Frida Maanum drove forwards and shot from distance in typical fashion, but the shot was blocked and fell kindly into Stina's path who fired past Bright and Berger to equalize.
From there on, the momentum swung in our favor and after McCabe was brought down in the box, our captain coolly converted from the spot while former Gunner, Rafaelle (known for her aerial prowess), rose highest to force a Niamh Charles own goal from a corner kick just before half-time.
We kept Chelsea out in the 2nd half to lift our first trophy under Eidevall and end our four-year trophy drought, with big-game Stina's goal spearheading this crucial comeback victory in an injury-plagued season!
4. Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (AET) - League Cup Final [31/03/2024].
The London rivals were at it again the following season in a repeat of the 2023 League Cup Final. An early scare saw Mayra Ramirez take aim from range, burying her shot into the bottom left corner before a VAR check deemed Erin Cuthbert guilty of handling the ball in the build-up, effectively nullifying the goal.
A game of fine margins then saw both sides get chances that they failed to capitalize on and after 90 minutes of deadlock, the game went to extra time. Another scare for the Gunners saw Maanum go down off the ball, requiring medical treatment that saw her replaced by Russo after a lengthy stoppage in play.
News that Frida was in stable condition revitalized the team to find that all-important winner, and after Zinsberger made a crucial stop to parry out James' goal-bound shot, Lotte found Catley who found Foord on the left. The Australian danced her way into the box and laid it off to Stina who fired past four blue shirts and Hannah Hampton in the 116th minute to win this tie just as a penalty shootout seemed inevitable.
The Swede was the top scorer in the competition with 9 goals (scoring two hat-tricks against Reading and Villa) and well and truly deserved to lift the trophy, a record-extending 7th League Cup title!
5. Arsenal 1-0 FC Barcelona Femení - UWCL [24/05/2025].
18 years on from our only other final, we went into this mammoth clash looking to win our second ever Champions League title against all odds. A tough start to the season had seen Renée Slegers take over the helm after Eidevall's resignation, and many deemed us massive underdogs against defending champions, Barcelona, who boasted three UWCL titles, including the previous two in a row.
That showed when we had to weather an early storm from the reigning champions, but we grew into the game and had arguably the best chances of the half as Little's cross found Foord at the back post, who headed just wide before Frida's cross into the corridor of uncertainty forced Paredes to put the ball into her own net. The goal was disallowed for offside though, and after Frida stung Cata Coll's gloves from distance, we went into the break level.
However, the Blaugrana came out guns blazing in the 2nd half and as they peppered our goal, we were forced deep and craved an outlet which came in the form of Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead being introduced in the 67th minute.
The former troubled El Femení's backline with trademark in-behind runs and after we won a corner kick which was half-cleared, Mariona held the ball up on the right flank till Beth showed up for a pass on the edge of the box. Her clever reverse through ball found Stina, who scored an all-important 74th-minute winner to extend our record as the only club in the land to ever be crowned Champions of Europe... twice! The rest is history!
The Nutshell.
Players come and go, and while the latter is something we as fans don't always want to see, it's the harsh reality of football.
The hope is they do well and leave a lasting impression, and having scored in every cup final since joining the club to lift the trophies on demand, Stina Blackstenius has definitely left her mark on the club. So much so that I consider her a Club Legend!
Do you? Food for thought. 🧠
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