A winner deep into extra time saw Wolfsburg progress to the Champions League final at Arsenal's expense after a thrilling semi-final tie.
Wolfsburg will play Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final in June after beating Arsenal 5-4 on aggregate in an absolutely thrilling semi-final tie.
The second leg was set up brilliantly after the two played out a 2-2 draw in Germany and it was the Gunners who struck first, taking the lead just 11 minutes in at the Emirates through Stina Blackstenius.
However, the visitors were ahead before the hour after former Arsenal midfielder Jill Roord equalised late in the first half and Alex Popp headed home from a corner, but an effort from defender Jen Beattie sent the game into extra time.
It was there that Wolfsburg won it, with Pauline Bremer profiting from a mistake from Lotte Wubben-Moy and popping up at the back post to tap in the decisive goal with only one minute of the added period remaining.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Emirates…
GettyWINNER: Pauline Bremer
Pauline Bremer will leave Wolfsburg at the end of this season and she will leave so having made an incredibly big contribution after a difficult few years with the club.
The forward has been plagued with injuries since she joined Manchester City in 2017 and has struggled to make an impact after joining the German side from there in 2020, making just 21 league appearances in that time. Indeed, she was only playing her seventh game for the club when she ruptured her ACL back in October 2020.
That it was her who popped up at the back stick to win this tie was an incredibly heart-warming story given all she has been through.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Lina Hurtig
Lina Hurtig had a huge, huge chance to put Arsenal ahead in extra time and she will no doubt be replaying it in her head over and over again after the result panned out the way it did.
Frida Maanum had picked Dominique Janssen's pocket on the right wing and perfectly teed up the Swede with a low cross into the box, but she couldn't beat Merle Frohms with her first-time shot.
It was a gilt-edged chance and potentially a match-winning one.
GettyWINNER: Alex Popp
It was Bremer's goal that won this game but Popp's contributions were incredibly decisive.
The versatile veteran was a thorn in Arsenal's side all game, especially from set pieces. For Wolfsburg's first goal, Popp headed the ball down nicely for Roord to strike home, having got in front of her marker to do so.
For the second goal, she escaped the attention of both Rafaelle and Maanum to flick on a lovely near-post header into the back of the net.
Now, she has a chance to win a fourth Champions League title – 14 years after her first and nine years after her last.
GettyLOSER: Arsenal on set pieces
One of the most disappointing things for Arsenal from this game will be that the two goals they conceded in the first 90 minutes were both so avoidable.
Both came from set pieces and both were as a result of poor marking, one of the very basic things that you just cannot afford to get wrong on such a big occasion.
When there is a player like Popp on the other side, who is so good in those situations, it becomes even more important that you are switched on. Arsenal just weren't and they were made to pay.