Lyon are the Queens of European football once again

Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)

Lyon won their eighth Women’s Champions League Final in Turin defeating Barcelona 3-1 in front of a crowd of over 32,000.

If Barcelona’s women’s team had performed like their fans in the stands they would have won the European Cup final 5-0. But football does not work like that. On a hot evening in Turin, Barcelona started the game like the heat had gone to their heads.

After only five minutes, Amandine Henry hit a long range shot from 30 yards that flew into the top corner of the Barcelona net. It was a stunning strike for Henry who had only just returned to the team after being out for 20 months with a bad injury.

The early goal seemed to hit the Barcelona players hard. They could not get into any rhythm at all and gave the ball away too much in the midfield.

After 22 minutes Lyon doubled their lead when a ball came in from the left wing for Ada Hegerberg to produce a diving header from six yards out at the far post.

The crowd could not believe it and things were going to get worse for the Barcelona fans that far outnumbered the Lyon fans in the stadium.

Just ten minutes later Henry became the provider for the third goal for Lyon that was a defensive mess from start to finish for Barcelona. The Norwegian striker set up Catarine Macorio from close range to make it 3-0 to Lyon and Barcelona looked like a team that were going to implode.

Barcelona 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas pulled one back just before half time with a side foot volley to give them hope in the second half.

Barca came out and threw the kitchen sink at Lyon at the start of the second half. There was even an effort from just past the halfway line from Patricia Guijarro that had the Lyon keeper beaten but it hit the crossbar and came out. If that had of gone in, the roof would have come off the famous Juve stadium in Turin.

But Lyon showed why they are the most decorated women’s team at the European elite level in the game. They are the Queens of the dark arts of football. They tried to put Barcelona out of their stride, wasting time and slowing the game down whenever they could. In the end they hung on to win an eighth European title, breaking Barcelona hearts on the pitch and those of over 30,000 Barcelona fans in the stands.

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