With goals from Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmatì and Alexia Putellas, women’s Barcelona won the Champions League for the second consecutive season at the end of a balanced and intense final.
Barcelona Femení beats Lyon: the final deal is done won their second consecutive Champions League by beating Lyon, the team they had never managed to defeat until now. A truly wonderful final match in Bilbao, very balanced and only decided by a bunch of details.
Extraordinary crowd
Let’s start with the crowd, which is absolutely crazy. The full San Mamés holds almost 55,000 people. Remarkable the prevalence of Barcelona fans, who are certainly in greater numbers. Both coaches are on their own way: Sonia Bompastor, according to increasingly insistent rumours, could be at her very last match with Lyon. It seems will replace Emma Hayes at Chelsea. Giraldez for his part has already chosen a change: he will leave Barcelona to coach the Washington Spirit (NWSL).
Barcelona Femení -Olympique Lyon, the match
Lyons starts much better. In an attempt to clear the penalty area on a corner kick, Bronze hit his own crossbar. Barça’s English defender made up for it shortly afterwards with a fine strike from Rolfö: the ball was high and not by much.
After ten minutes of suffering, Barcelona seemed to have won their spaces and played much more effectively. The best chance came in the 28th minute: Caldentey stole the ball from Gilles and entered the penalty area threateningly: she could cross, but preferred to shoot with Endler miraculously saving himself before a furious scrum that Barcelona, however, did not resolve.
Salma is barely seen. On the other hand, Graham Hansen gained considerable height as the minutes passed and ended the first half on a high.
Lyon were unable to keep up the same pace as in the first half and it was clear from the start of the second half that Barcelona had taken control of the game. It was the blaugrana who played the game with increasing insistence and continuity.
Barcelona broke the bank at 63’: Aitana Bonmatì, who asked for and got a short combination triangle from Mariona Caldentey. The Balon d’Or slipped at full speed into the left corridor of the penalty area and kicked powerfully helped by a slight deflection from Gilles helped her.
In the 68th minute Barça is in danger: Coll made a mistake, conceding the ball on a wrong throw-in. Majri, who had just come on the pitch in place of Cascarino, shoots weakly. Blood on the green as Battle fell on Diani’s studs broking her cheekbone. Stitches were needed. In the middle of the area Coll came out to anticipate Horan and the two collided with the Catalan keeper standing on the pitch in considerable pain.
With Lyon desperately pushing Barcelona fortress, nails, trembled but held. And Alexia Putellas after just three minutes on the pitch, consolidated an extraordinary victory against the opponent of all times.
Sinthetically
A fairy-tale final, played between two teams that play another kind of sport. Barcelona femeni in monstrous with so much quality on the pitch and a series of plays that drew applause with a truly stratospheric dribbling and dynamic personality. Lyon came out with their heads held high, a team that is evolving and is dealing with a momentary transition, which is not easy after a very long domination. As long as the game was in the balance, the French played it on equal terms. And the 2-0 result is a lie and should not be misleading for what the values expressed on the pitch were.
BARCELLONA-OLYMPIQUE LIONE 2-0
63’ Aitana Bonmatìm 90’+5 Alexia Putellas
Barcellona (4-3-3): Cata Coll; Lucy Bronze, Irene Paredes, Ingrid Engen, Fridolina Rolfö (67’ Ona Battle); Aitana Bonmatí, Keira Walsh (90’+2 Alexia Putellas), Patri Guijarro; Mariona Caldentey (90’+2 Clàudia Pina), Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo (85’ Esmee Brugts). Subs Sandra Paños, Gemma Font, Mapi León, Jana Fernández, Marta Torrejón, Bruna Vilamala, Vicky López, Martina Fernández.
Olympique Lyon (4-3-3): Christiane Endler; Ellie Carpenter, Vanessa Gilles (81’ Vicki Bècho), Wendie Renard, Selma Bacha; Damaris Egurrola, Lindsey Horan, Daniëlle van de Donk (81’ Ada Hegerberg); Kadidiatou Diani, Melchie Dumornay, Delphine Cascarino (66 Amel Majri). Subs Féerine Belhadj, Laura Benkarth, Alice Marques, Griedge Mbock, Perle Morroni, Alice Sombath, Dzsenifer Marozsán.
Referee: Rebecca Welch (Inghilterra)
Yellow Cards: Renard (L), Putellas (B), Endler (L).
