LYON WON THE Women’s Champions League on Saturday after beating Barcelona 3-1 to be crowned queens of Europe for a record-extending eighth time.
First-half goals from Amandine Henry, Ada Hegerberg and Catarina Macario were enough to take the title from pre-match holders Barca, who pulled one back through captain Alexia Putellas just before half-time.
Expectation was high among Barca fans, who descended in large numbers on the Allianz Stadium in Turin to watch a team who have been tipped to end Lyon’s dominance of the women’s game in Europe.
However they couldn’t come back from going three goals down in the first 33 minutes.
The damage was done in a whirlwind opening period in which Lyon showed their European pedigree and for large tracts steamrollered Barca.
Henry opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a beautiful strike which came out of nowhere, the France icon picking up the ball way out with nothing on before letting off a rocket which Sandra Panos could only grasp at in vain.
TAKE. A. BOW. 🔥
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) May 21, 2022
Amandine Henry with one of the goals of the season for @OLFeminin
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From there Lyon kicked into gear and Hegerberg had her 59th goal in 60 Champions League appearances in the 23rd minute when she calmly nodded in Selma Bacha’s cross from close range.
Ten minutes later Barca’s heads were spinning after a baffling defensive mix-up left Macario with a tap-in to make it three from almost on the goal line.
Barca looked dead and buried but Ballon d’Or holder Putellas dragged her team back into it four minutes before the break when she saved Caroline Graham Hansen’s miscued cross by lashing home a low first-time finish.
Patricia Guijarro thought she had cut the deficit to just one in the most spectacular way possible when she launched an audacious shot from just after the half-way line which crashed back out from the underside of the bar.
From there Barca were the better team but lacked the killer touch, with Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic volleying a great chance wide with seven minutes remaining highlighting a wastefulness which in the end cost them their European crown.
Always loved watching him play snooker, but my god I’m sick of listening to him. Just retire and be done with it, I really think 99 percent of snooker fans won’t miss him
@Raymond Kelly: shows you aren’t a snooker fan
@Raymond Kelly: i honestly think that sometimes he gets bored and does and says things just for the sake of it. Can be very tiresome to listen to.
He is such a brilliant snooker player,one of the best ever,but also a massive knob head too
Delighted for Wilson who is a nice guy, The balls didn’t run for Ronnie but that happens. He is however the best of all time
@Terry O Sullivan: think he could easily have set himself apart as the greatest of all time but chose to be edgy instead
Think he’s a natural elite achiever. In snooker this is translating to a great player and pure frustration, coming out in many ways. Should have spent a few bob on a sports psychologist a few years ago, and kept seen them