Dutch football trio with VfL Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League final in Eindhoven

“The three of VfL Wolfsburg” will go home for a while on June 3. In Eindhoven more precisely, where Dominique Janssen (28), Lynn Wilms (22) and Jill Roord (26) will play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final against FC Barcelona. The Philips Stadium will then host the most important match in European women’s club football for the first time. A final battle with a Dutch twist.

After the 3-2 victory in London on the return from the semi-final against Arsenal, the three Dutch internationals can follow in the footsteps of Daniëlle van de Donk and Damaris Egurrola (Olympique Lyon in 2022), Lieke Martens (FC Barcelona in 2021) , Shanice van de Sanden (Lyon in 2018, 2019 and 2020), Annemieke Kiesel-Griffioen (Duisburg in 2009) and Marleen Wissink (1. FFC Frankfurt in 2002 and 2006). The Dutch champions have all shone in the service of foreign employers. FC Twente and Ajax haven’t even reached the main tournament this season.

Dutch national coach Andries Jonker will have watched with pleasure on Monday evening the performances of Janssen, Wilms and Roord at Wolfsburg and Victoria Pelova (23) at Arsenal. The Champions League is an opportunity for internationals to gain experience for battle at the highest level. As it should be next summer when the Orange of New Zealand and Australia start a new World Cup as 2019 runners-up. In domestic football, the Netherlands have been able to compete with the best in the last final tournaments.

Dutch clubs missing

What is the difference at the club level. The Dutch clubs have so far never participated in the final phase of the Champions League. Since the start of this tournament – ​​which began as the UEFA Women’s Cup in the 2001-2002 season – no club in the Women’s Eredivisie has managed to play a significant role. Over the past twenty years, the Champions League has only had winners from Germany (9 times), France (8), Sweden (2), Spain (1) and England (1). ).

This shows very clearly that the Netherlands is nothing more than a country where women are trained for the best foreign clubs. Even more so than in men’s football, where clubs like Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV managed to win the most important European cup of the past. Although the last success there dates back to 1995, when Ajax beat Italian AC Milan in the final.

The top of international club football is much slimmer for women than for men. Only a handful of clubs, including Frankfurt, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, ​​Arsenal and Wolfsburg, have built a women’s team over the past two decades that can compete with the top in Europe. For example, professional football in Wolfsburg started in 2003 when the club took over the women’s division from WSV Wendschott, including the license for the Bundesliga. Ten years later, Vfl Wolfsburg won the triple: Champions League, Championship and Cup. They became “Bayern Munich” for women.

In practice, the small group of top clubs in Europe almost always split the prize money among themselves. This season is no exception. Although Vfl Wolfsburg and FC Barcelona will meet for the first time in the final this year. A final battle that will not be broadcast by NOS, Ziggo or ESPN. Viewers are like all other duels on the way to Eindhoven dependent on the international sports streaming service DAZN or, for free, via YouTube. The four quarter-final matches were watched by 2.6 million football fans worldwide. Over the next two years, nineteen more games will be free to watch and the rest of the Women’s Champions League will have to be paid for.

This is part of the professionalization of the sport where records are broken all the time. For example, Arsenal and VfL Wolfsburg played outside a sold-out Emirates Stadium for the first time, where 60,000 spectators turned it into a football party on Monday night. A world of difference with the atmosphere of Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park where Arsenal women often play.

Vibrate in the stadium

After the spectacular 2-2 draw at Wolfsburg, Arsenal fans believed in a repeat of 2007, when the first and only Women’s Champions League was won. With Vivianne Miedema, injured, and Pelova, who arrived from Ajax at the start of the year, in the starting lineup, The gunners very strong.

Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius opened the game in the eleventh minute with a fine action. A buzz went through the stadium, reminiscent of the atmosphere at the European Championship a year ago when the England national team won the hearts of many new fans. At the time, England beat Germany in the final by force of will. With Sarina Wiegman as a famous woman.

It initially looked like Wolfsburg would beat Arsenal on quality. It was precisely the former Arsenal player Roord who scored the equalizer just before half-time. After nearly an hour of play, it was Alexandra Popp who regained the lead from a corner kick by Felicitas Rauch. The game seemed over. But Jennifer Beattie gave Arsenal hope fifteen minutes from time. So extend.

Both teams went for the decisive goal in added time. Arsenal was close, hit the crossbar. But spectators closed their eyes when Pauline Bremer scored the winning goal in the 119th minute. Janssen, Roord and Wilms couldn’t believe it.