TURIN, Italy – There’s a cliché that this is just Olympique Lyonnais‘the world and we all live in it, but there’s something cliché about it.
Lyon may not be perfect in Saturday’s hectic Champions League final, but their 3-1 win end Barcelona is a convincing and richly deserved one. From Amandine HenryThe sublimation cut less than 10 minutes before the resolute and sure defense of the longtime champions during the past 10 minutes, Lyon proved that their strength is from the top to the bottom of the team.
In Lyon’s second goal and final match winner, Ada HegerbergHer header widens the gap as she slips behind Mapi Leon first half. In the moments that followed, panic overtook a Barcelona team that could have turned the game on very early, and some calamitous defenses opened the door for Catherine Macario into the third house 10 minutes later, all before halftime.
For Barcelona, the proceedings could look like a lawsuit.
Before the 2020-21 final against Chelsea, the biggest day in Barcelona’s history was the day they reached their first Champions League final. That was the day when the experienced team from the Northeastern region of Spain attempted to become the supreme rulers of Europe, ahead of then-champion Lyon. However, the game was over before it even began – Lyon’s goals came like knives in the body, or a thick red seal slams down Barcelona’s application for European glory: “DENIED” it. be read over and over.
Two years later, Barcelona had one more shot at the cup – their new biggest day could not be spoiled again by Lyon as the seven-time Champions League winners were sent to the quarter-finals of the tournament by Paris Saint-Germain. -Germain, themselves. was eliminated by Barcelona. However, a year later – on a wet Saturday at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy – the Catalans face their biggest day yet. This time it was about retaining their title, about finally beating the Lyon team they had never beaten.
This time Barcelona were placed among the favorites – at least in some circles – to the chagrin of Lyon, a team that hasn’t lost a Champions League final since 2012-13. With Saturday’s win, Lyon now have eight Champions League trophies – four more than any other team – including six of the past seven.
There is a special kind of dimension to Lyon – as well as having one of the best teams in Europe for over a decade, there is an understanding of their own dominance. These are players who know how heavy the Lyon shirt is, they understand the weight of expectation that comes with wearing it, and when that pressure is put on and the lightweight white cotton shirt can turn into a chain, force the players to rush into themselves, they will stand. proud.
The success of Lyon, of every Champions League final, of every trophy, is woven through the fabric of that shirt, but like the sweltering humidity at the Allianz Arena would be too much for most to bear. have the honor to wear. That badge never seems to break a sweat. Even when Barcelona pulled back with Alexia Putellas late in the first half, Lyonnais did not falter and immediately beat the next wave of attacks from their opponents. With 14 assists for the French giants entering the match, Selma Bacha shining on the wing throughout the first half, proving she has become a tireless assist under Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor.
Most will know the story of Lyon, of boss Jean-Michel Aulas’ dedication to his women’s team, of how – by pledging to treat women equally – he created the best dynasty in women’s soccer. Some might think it happened overnight, that all the pieces were in place with unparalleled investment, but Lyon is a team that must grow, must develop, must fail. and succeed to reach where it is now. The whole team had to learn to deal with the big nights in Europe, and where others might have succumbed to the nervousness as Barcelona tried to turn the tables late in the game, Lyon remained calm, fully confident in the game. my ability.
Lyon have become stronger with each season, not only by continuing to recruit astutely, but by pushing themselves to the limit, by always demanding more of themselves. By seeing the landscape of women’s football change and evolve as the sport desperately tries to catch up with the 32-time champion team and ask themselves how they can keep their noses ahead. . The Lyon players who won their first or even fourth Champions League title (in 2010-11 and 2016-17) likely won’t be able to find what they need on the pitch to win. in Italy, but as the game has grown and improved, so has Lyon.
Even for those who say standards in France are simply not high enough and that these players rarely find themselves tested, the rebuttal is simply that training sessions at rival Lyon are on par with the competition. in actual matches elsewhere. The environment in Lyon is one that allows the players to develop and test themselves against each other, the best players in the world. That is how they evolved, and when it comes to the collisions they cause across France – and beyond – they are shows of force and tests of mental agility.
Like all aspects of the team, psychological stability does not come overnight, but has been cultivated and become a hallmark of the team. As Henry, who previously played for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL, explains: “In Portland, I learned a positive attitude because the mentality was stronger, it was very difficult, and in Lyon we are now have the same mentality.”
But perhaps no player on the roster has shown the mental fortitude to wear it as a shield like Hegerberg. Having starred three years ago, Hegerberg leads Lyon with the determination she has shown so often before for her club, and she just seems to be a more well-rounded player since since being laid off for 20 months due to injury.
“Ada is a leader of the team and we need her because she’s been gone for months and when she comes back she has an aura and that’s very important to us,” Henry told. ESPN.
While it was easy to reduce the game to goals, as Henry noted in his post-match press conference, Lyon’s performance was a complete one with each player playing her role. She: “It’s the whole team that won this trophy tonight. It’s the teamwork that we need to focus on first and foremost.”
This season has seen UEFA try something different with the Women’s Champions League, reformulating the league to aid growth and promote parity and more engaging matches – and has There are many success stories in the season. However, all roads must lead to Turin, to the beautiful trophy whose shape will hang at the Allianz Arena and on that night Barcelona were a worthy opponent.
This final has been one of the more intriguing finals in recent years, with Barcelona looking capable of a comeback that never came. In that sense, the finale probably didn’t have as much of the déjà vu feeling as when Phil Connors woke up on February 2, Groundhog Day – the feeling that no matter what the path to the podium looks like, it will always Lyon on top of it.
Barcelona, like Wolfsburg before them, have been frozen by Lyon – but February 3 will come a day when Lyon’s winter reign in women’s football will ease, and more teams will emerge from the thawing frost. flowing, the sport as a whole becomes a better place for all that Lyon has and continues to give it, even if the scales seem painfully out of balance right now.
However, that time will not come too soon.
