May 24 : Barcelona’s blistering second-half display in their 4-0 win over OL Lyonnes in the women’s Champions League final was arguably the moment the Spaniards finally wrested the title of Europe’s most dominant force in the women’s game.
Appearing in their sixth final in a row, Barca have been knocking on the door for a long time, but a shock 1-0 defeat by Arsenal in last year’s decider left critics wondering if they would ever be capable of matching Lyon’s eight titles.
Saturday night’s first half at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadium suggested they might come up short again as a physical, powerful Lyon side controlled possession for lengthy spells and forced Barcelona to survive on counter-attacks.
However, the second half was a different picture as Barca striker Ewa Pajor, who had the ignominious record of losing all five previous Champions League finals she had played in, scored in the 55th minute and added a gut-punch second in the 69th to blunt Lyon’s challenge.
“We are Barca – we want the ball. In the first half, we did not really have that control. At half-time, the coach told us not to rush our passes, to stay calm on the ball and simply play our football, the tiki-taka style that represents this club so well,” Barca keeper Cata Coll said after the final whistle.
Winger Salma Paralluelo added a late brace to Pajor’s pair, and such was their clinical ability on the counter that Lyon could have no complaints as Barca won their fourth European crown. The French side now face something of a rebuilding task if they are to get back to the European summit.
ADVANTAGE BARCELONA
Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg, who won the golden ball as the world’s best player in 2018, struggled to shake off an Achilles problem, and at 35 years old, towering centre-back Wendie Renard cannot have too many more punishing European campaigns ahead of her.
The momentum is now with Barcelona, who bounced back from losing the 2022 final by beating VfL Wolfsburg 3-2 in the 2023 decider and gained a measure of revenge when they beat Lyon 2-0 in 2024.
Their run at dominance was broken by that defeat by Arsenal last year, but Saturday’s comprehensive win in Oslo removed those doubts and moved them into a league of their own in the women’s game, with Lyon facing an uphill battle if they are to regain the summit.
For Barcelona’s Norwegian winger Caroline Graham Hansen, the win was something extra. The 31-year-old grew up a few hundred metres from the stadium where the game was played, and a Champions League for women did not even exist when she first began kicking a ball.
“I guess most people will say this is a dream come true, but it wasn’t a possible dream when I grew up,” she said after the final whistle.
“But here I am, bringing the trophy home with beautiful Barcelona, with all our beautiful fans, making this a fantastic final and also being on the winning side. It’s a dream scenario.”
