Barça loses its crown in Turin
The culés fall before an Olympique that recovers its dominance in Europe
MADRID, 21 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça was far from being able to retain its European champion crown in women’s football after losing this Saturday the final of the ‘Champions League’ against Olympique de Lyon (1-3), in a match played at Juventus Stadium and where the French sent on the scoreboard from very early on.
Jonatan Giráldez’s team soon lost hope when they conceded the first goal of the afternoon after 6 minutes. A shoe from Amandine Henry -which entered the entire squad- left Barça unanswered, which gradually woke up from the slap received when it was just settling in the Turin green.
Olympique followed suit and did a lot of damage with their band football, opening up spaces and generating doubts in Barça. That’s where the 0-2 came thanks to an exquisite center by Melvin Malard that Ada Hegerberg headed. The chopped header made it impossible for Sandra Paños to prevent the galas from doubling her advantage.
And to make matters worse for the culé team, it was 0-3 after half an hour after a loss by Irene Paredes, who tried to clear without success and Lyon took a slice. Macario only had to push the leather – free of a brand – at the far post. A goal that sank Barça during the remainder of the first half. Of course, with a window to hope.
That window was opened by Alexia Putellas with the 1-3, shortly before the break, thanks to a shot at first contact after a magnificent cross from Graham Hansen, one of the most successful players in the match. However, Barça’s reaction -translated to the scoreboard- stayed there and did not go any further.
And that those of Giráldez – undefeated in the League all year – pressed with several clear goal plays. One of them in Oshoala’s boots, which ended up offside, and ten minutes from the end with a shot from Crnogorcevic, which grazed the furthest post from the goal defended by Endler. The die was cast and there were no more options to take the match to extra time.
Barça turned to play in the final minutes, but Olympique pulled from their own initiative, from experience and dedicated themselves to wasting time to prevent the Spanish from gaining continuity. They might even have scored the fourth if Hegerberg hadn’t hit the post.
The Juventus Stadium electronic no longer moved, and as happened in the 2019 final, the ‘Champions’, for the sixth time in the last seven years, travels to Lyon. The Olympique players showed that they are the absolute queens of the ‘Old Continent’.
–RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 1 – OLYMPIQUE DE LYON, 3 (1-3, at halftime).
FC BARCELONA: Cloths; Torrejón (Crnogorcevic, min.59), Paredes, Mapi León, Rolfoe (Pina, min.75); Bonmatí, Guijarro, Putellas; Graham Hansen, Hermoso (Oshoala, min.46) and Caldentey (Lieke Martens, min.59).
LYON OLYMPICS: Endler; Carpenter (Buchanan, min.14), Renard, Mbock Bathy (Cayman, min.81), Bacha; Henry, Malard (Le Sommer, min.73), Horan; Cascarino (Morroni, min.81), Hegerberg and Macario.
0-1, min.6, Henry.
0-2, min.23, Hegerberg.
0-3, min.33, Macario.
1-3, min.42, Alexia Putellas.
–REFEREE: Lina Lehtovaara (END). She warned Mapi León (min. 33) and Irene Paredes (min. 85) with a yellow card at FC Barcelona; and Hegerberg (min.45 3), Macario (min.64) and Morroni (min.94) at Olympique de Lyon.
–STADIUM: Juventus Stadium, Turin (Italy). 32,257 spectators.
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