CALD SWEAT WINS DAY FOR GUNNERS

ARSENAL’S Mariona Caldentey revealed her pride at winning the Champions League – despite breaking the hearts of her former Barcelona team-mates.

The Spaniard, who swapped Catalonia for London last summer, said: “For what we achieved in the knockout stages against Real Madrid and against Lyon, I think we deserved to be here.

“We knew we could do it and we did.” Arsenal had just 32 per cent possession, but Caldentey (right) paid tribute to boss Renee Slegers, who encouraged Arsenal to soak up pressure and hit Barcelona on the break.

She added: “We played very well, especially defensively.

We suffered a lot because to play against Barcelona and these players is very difficult.

“We defended well and played a bit on the counter, which is not our style, but we knew that was what would help us to win. It served us well. We knew we were going to suffer and that they were going to play a lot, dominate the ball and we were not going to have much of it.”

Barca boss Pere Romeu felt his side did not deserve to win. He said: “We struggled to generate the superiority we wanted to achieve.”