Barcelona beat Lyon 2-0 in the Women’s Champions League final, roared on by 40,000 fans in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao, to complete a magnificent 2023-24 quadruple and win this competition for the third time in four years.
Aitana Bonmati put them ahead in the 63rd minute after linking brilliantly with Mariona Caldentey, and Lyon could find no way past goalkeeper Cata Coll. Ada Hegerberg, who has only just returned from two months lost to injury, had a chance to draw Lyon level in the closing stages but the top-scoring player in tournament history could only head Selma Bacha’s excellent cross over the crossbar. And then up stepped Alexia Putellas, a 92nd-minute substitute, to put the result beyond doubt with a powerful finish from close range.
Charlotte Harpur, Michael Cox and Laia Cervello Herrero analyse the key talking points from the San Mames stadium…
A changing of the guard?
Barcelona had never beaten Lyon, ever. This victory also means they have now won three of the past four Women’s Champions League finals. There is no denying Lyon’s dominance on the European stage, eight Champions League titles since 2011 is frankly ridiculous and pales in comparison to Barca’s total of three.
From 2016 to 2020, Lyon won five in a row but it was Barcelona who…
