FC Barcelona won the Women’s UEFA Champions League by beating Olympique Lyonnais 4-0 on Saturday, May 23 in Oslo. In the final, the Catalan players confirmed their dominance on the European stage with a well-rounded, controlled performance from start to finish. This fourth continental title further strengthens the club’s position among the top references in women’s football.
Ewa Pajor from Poland scored twice (55th, 69th) and Salma Paralluelo (90th, 90+3) secured the victory for the Catalans, who this season achieved an impressive quadruple (Champions League, Liga, Copa de la Reina, and Spanish Super Cup). Barcelona and their Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati denied Wendie Renard and the Lyonnais their ninth title in a competition that Lyon has not won since 2022.
Remarkable Performance
FC Barcelona and their “queen” Alexia Putellas, whose contract ends in June and who may have played her last game with the Blaugrana in Oslo, have not yet planned her return. The Catalan club owes a lot to their Polish striker Ewa Pajor, who has had bad luck in Champions League finals, losing five times while playing for Wolfsburg and last year with Barcelona against Arsenal. She started clumsily in the first half but became clinical in the second half.
Aided by her playmaker Patri Guijarro, Pajor, the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals, outpaced her former teammate Ingrid Engen, who moved from Barcelona to Lyon at the beginning of the season, and beat Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler to open the scoring (1-0, 55th minute). Once again, she doubled the lead thanks to a pass from Salma Paralluelo amidst a struggling Lyon defense (2-0, 69th minute).
In the first half, Lyon, initially hesitant, came close to scoring when Selma Bacha’s header reached captain Wendie Renard in the Barcelona penalty area, but they failed to capitalize on the opportunity.
Unyielding Cata Coll
Cata Coll, solid throughout the game, managed to block the initial shot, but Lindsey Heaps took advantage of the rebound to score. However, Lyon’s luck was short-lived when the goal was ruled out for offside (14th minute).
The second half was a torment for Lyon after Pajor’s two goals. Jonatan Giraldez’s players were outplayed by Pere Romeu’s team, especially sprinter Paralluelo, who also scored twice towards the end of the match (90th, 90+3), sealing the outcome of the game.
Once again this year, Barcelona, playing their sixth consecutive Champions League final in Oslo, affirmed their supremacy in European football.
