Barcelona 1-3 Lyon (Putellas 41′ | Henry 6′, Hegerberg 23′, Macario 33′)
Lyon overcame reigning champions Barcelona to win the Women’s Champions League for a record eighth time in the sweltering heat of Turin.
The French side’s unprecedented five-year winning streak in the competition was interrupted last season when Barcelona won lifted the trophy for the first time, but Barca’s title defence floundered as they were despatched 3-1 in cacophonous Allianz Stadium.
Defensive midfielder Amandine Henry’s sixth minute rocket – opening her body up 35 yards out and launching a left-footed effort into the top right – set the tone for what would turn into a sumptuous evening for the 19-time French league winners.
The enforced 14th minute substitution of right-back Ellie Carpenter did little to stem her side’s dominance; on 23 minutes all-time Women’s Champions League top scorer Ada Hegerberg found space to head home and double Lyon’s lead from just inside the six-yard box
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Barcelona were at sixes and sevens against a fast-paced, dynamic Lyon outfit and it soon went from bad to worse just after the half-hour mark when an unmarked Catarina Macario tapped Hederberg’s square ball home at the back post for 3-0.
But the Spanish champions – undefeated in the league this season – were refusing to go down without a fight and captain Alexia Putellas got one back just before half-time to cut the deficit to 3-1 and set up a competitive second half.
The two sides enjoyed spells of both possession and chances before Barca midfielder Patricia Guijarro launched a 57th minute effort from the halfway line that crashed onto the crossbar.
Barcelona were soon dominating proceedings and Asisat Oshoala, though offside, should have scored from a six-yard header that she glanced wide in the 74th minute.
Lyon were sitting deep as they looked to soak up their opponents’ near-relentless pressure, with Barca earning and spurning some gilt-edged opportunities as a result.
When a pinpoint Oshoala cross found Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic in the box and in space on 82 minutes only for the Switzerland international to fire wide, it began to seem like they were never going to find the net
Lyon did indeed proceed, via seven minutes of injury time and a Hederberg volley that hit the post, to see out a victory that will leave this star-studded Barca team with nothing but dreams of what could have been.
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