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With a conquer the rival it may by no means beat, Barcelona made it clear who’s in command of girls’s soccer.
Barcelona ended its shedding streak in opposition to the sport’s most profitable membership on Saturday, beating Lyon 2-0 to clinch its third Ladies’s Champions League title in 4 years.
World participant of the 12 months Aitana Bonmatí scored within the second half and former world participant Alexia Putellas added a second deep in stoppage time for defending champion Barcelona in entrance of a file crowd of fifty,827 for a remaining.
“This crew has made historical past. With every passing 12 months we simply need extra,” mentioned Bonmatí, the participant of the match. “The primary time we have now overwhelmed Lyon, and to do it like this in a remaining, profitable back-to-back Champions League titles … this crew deserved it.”
Barcelona misplaced the 2 earlier finals it performed in opposition to the French aspect and all 4 of its earlier matches in opposition to Lyon, which was in search of a record-extending ninth European trophy.
“The truth is that Barcelona has taken two consecutive titles and their dynamic is extraordinarily optimistic, not solely concerning outcomes but in addition in regards to the high quality of the sport and the quantity of help that they’ve,” Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor mentioned. “The opposite golf equipment, not solely Lyon, should be motivated by that and attempt to discover methods to beat that.”
Victory gave Barcelona a quadruple of trophies: Champions league, Spanish league, Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Tremendous Cup.
“That is what we labored so exhausting for,” mentioned Putellas, who struggled to get better her distinguished function since coming back from a critical leg harm and not too long ago signed a contract extension by means of 2026. “We’re tremendous blissful to have gained these 4 titles.”
Barcelona added to its Ladies’s Champions League titles in 2021 and 2023 in its fourth consecutive remaining.
FC Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas scores their second aim
| Photograph Credit score:
Reuters
“We knew we wanted to be a membership that made historical past,” Barcelona defender Lucy Bronze mentioned. “It’s not simple, it’s exhausting to win it as soon as, however to do it again to again, Lyon confirmed how troublesome it’s. This crew’s lastly carried out that. We go down in historical past as probably the greatest groups in Europe.”
The ladies’s triumph comes amid continued turmoil within the males’s crew, which hasn’t succeeded in Europe not too long ago and noticed participant nice Xavi Hernández depart because the coach on Saturday. Membership president Joan Laporta, who sacked Xavi, celebrated the title with the ladies on the medal ceremony.
Former Barcelona participant Lionel Messi congratulated the ladies’s aspect on Instagram.
Their success follows Spain’s triumphs final 12 months within the Ladies’s World Cup and the inaugural Ladies’s Nations League.
It felt like a house match for Barcelona as its followers occupied a lot of the seats at San Mames Stadium in Basque Nation.
It was a good match from the beginning, with neither crew creating many vital scoring alternatives. Lyon hit the woodwork and goalkeeper Christiane Endler made simple saves on the different finish.
Lyon was in a position to maintain Bonmatí in verify throughout a lot of the match, however she broke by means of with the opening aim with a pleasant run into the realm earlier than firing a left-footed shot previous Endler within the 63rd minute. The ball deflected off the leg of Lyon defender Vanessa Gilles.
Putellas got here off the bench in stoppage time and scored a couple of moments later. She celebrated by taking off her jersey and operating towards the followers.
Bompastor, the primary girl to win the Ladies’s Champions League as a participant and coach, was making an attempt to change into the primary girl to win two titles as a coach.
Lyon was taking part in in its eleventh remaining in 15 seasons, and was in search of its first title because it beat Barcelona within the 2022 remaining. The French membership additionally defeated Barcelona within the 2019 remaining. It gained 5 titles in a row from 2016-20.
“I’m very emotional. Nobody likes to lose a remaining. You’re right here to win it,” Lyon defender Danielle van de Donk mentioned. “It’s a disgrace you don’t create sufficient. Barcelona overtook the sport, and so they sort of deserved the win. I’m nonetheless very happy with my crew. We gave it our all. Now we have some regrets, after all, however hopefully subsequent 12 months we’re again once more.”
Lyon star striker Ada Hegerberg, who had been listed as uncertain due to a muscle harm, solely bought into the ultimate within the 81st.
Barcelona turned the third membership with three Ladies’s Champions League titles, behind the eight of Lyon and the 4 of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez was in his remaining match earlier than becoming a member of U.S. membership Washington Spirit.
“After I determined in December to go away on the finish of the season, folks thought the crew’s performances would possibly dip,” he mentioned. “We confirmed that wasn’t the case at present. A tremendous efficiency, and a deserved victory.”
