Lucy Bronze lifts the Women's Champions League trophy. Photo: Getty Images/David Ramos Barcelona 2 Lyon 0
England duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh won the Women's Champions League title for the second season in a row with Barcelona as the Catalan club beat Sonia Bompastor's Lyon 2-0 in in a tense finale.
Frenchwoman Bompastor, who is set to replace Emma Hayes at Chelsea after Hayes took over in the United States, had hoped to end her three-year spell in charge of Lyon with her second European title to date in his coaching career. . But a missed shot from Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, the Ballon d'Or winner, gave Barcelona the lead in the second half, with substitute Alexia Putellas deciding the match before stoppage time.
Barcelona's victory saw Lionesses right-back Bronze become the first English footballer to win five European Cups, ahead of legendary Liverpool defender Phil Neal, who won four European titles with the Merseyside side. The 32-year-old from Berwick-upon-Tweed put in a determined defensive performance, making two crucial blocks and thwarting Lyon's late attack with a brave header at the back post.
As well as the 2023 triumph over Wolfsburg with Barcelona, Bronze previously won the Women's Champions League three times in a row with Saturday opponents Lyon between 2018 and 2020, and she was included in the starting XI in Bilbao alongside Walsh, who was in typically excellent form in her holding midfielder role. Walsh was substituted in second-half stoppage time and replaced by former Ballon d'Or winner Putellas, who fired home with her left foot to seal the win with one of her first actions after coming on.
Substitute Alexia Putellas celebrates Barcelona's second goal Photo: Getty Images/David Ramos
Bompastor's side had previously been under pressure in search of an equalizer after stylish attacking midfielder Bonmati, who also won the Fifa Best award in 2023 after starring in Spain's World Cup victory last year, saw it from close range. , a left-footed shot deflected gently past Lyon's Chilean goalkeeper Christiane Endler.
Among British footballers, only Welshman Gareth Bale, who won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, can now match the bronze mark, while for British women — bronze. has been in uncharted territory for several years now when it comes to success at club level on the continent.
This was Barcelona's third women's European final to date and they were competing in their fourth final in a row, their fifth in six seasons, as their period of dominance this decade continued.
Keira Walsh (second from left) celebrates her victory. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Caparrós
Lyon remain the most successful team in the women's tournament with a record eight titles, but Bompastor's side were vastly outclassed in the stands and Barcelona were supported by an army of some 40,000 fans who made the trip across northern Spain.
< p>Telegraph Sport exclusively reported in April that an agreement had been reached for Bompastor to replace Hayes at Chelsea. Neither club has yet confirmed the move, but an announcement is expected to be made after this final as Lyon tries to avoid the news being a distraction as they prepare for their 11th European final since 2010.
Despite Saturday's disappointment, Bompastor remains the only female manager to win a Women's Champions League title in the last 15 years, having overseen Lyon's surprise victory over Barcelona in Turin, Italy, in 2022.
The final also featured English officials, with referee Rebecca Welch becoming the first English woman to officiate the final of a major international tournament. She was assisted by Natalie Aspinall and Emily Carney while Stuart Attwell worked in the VAR studio. Last December, Welch became the first woman to referee a Premier League match.
Bilbao's 50,827 crowd surpasses the previous record attendance for a women's European club final of 50,212, set in Munich in 2012. .
Match details
Barcelona (4-3-3): Call 7; Bronze 8, Paredes 6, Engen 6, Rolfo 6 (Battle 6, 67); Bonmati 8, Walsh 8 (Putellas 7, 90+2), Guijarro 7, Graham Hansen 6, Paralluelo 6 (Brugts 6, 85), Caldentey 6 (Pina 6, 90+2)
Unused subs:Panos (c), Gemma (c), Mapi Leon, Jana, Marta, Bruna, Vicky, Martina
Yellow cards: Putellas
< p>Lyon (4-3-3):Endler 6; Carpenter 5, Renard 5, Gilles 6 (Becho 6, 81), Basha 6; Horan 7, Egurolla 6, Van de Donk 6 (Hegerberg 6, 81); Diani 6, Dumornay 7, Cascarino 6 (Mairi 6, 63)
Unused subs: Belhadj (c), Bencart (c), Morroni, Marozshan, Sombat, Marquez, Mbok Bati< br />Yellow cards:Renard, Endler
Attendance: 50,827
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