Time stood still as Alexia Putellas looked at her reflection in the gleaming silver of the Women’s Champions League trophy.
So much sacrifice, effort and suffering after almost a year away from the pitch through injury.
She took a moment to herself, pausing for a breath. She gave it a kiss. Another kiss.
One step, two.
She approached her team-mates, waiting impatiently, bent down and lifted the trophy high. Gold and silver confetti showered the new European champions.
If you go by the script of the last two Women’s Champions League finals, the team that starts the fastest wins.
In last year’s version, Lyon’s Amandine Henry scored a thunderbolt of a goal in the sixth minute. Barcelona were not prepared to concede so early, let alone to trail 3-0 after 33 minutes. It threw them off and they were unable to react. Their performance showed psychological fragility.
So when Wolfsburg’s Ewa Pajor picked Lucy Bronze’s pocket and fired a rocket into the net in the third minute of the 2023 final on Saturday, it seemed like a case of deja vu.
EWA PAJOR OPENS THE SCORING UP FOR WOLFSBURG 💚
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