Lyon loses in the final against defending champions Barcelona

Dominated and beaten by the Blaugrana, the Lyonnaises missed the opportunity to win a ninth title on Saturday afternoon in Bilbao.

OL will not bring the Cup home. Olympique Lyonnais was beaten in a duel at the top against Barcelona (2-0), Saturday May 25, at the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao. The Lyonnaises, back in the European final after the disappointment of elimination in the quarters last season, were dominated almost the entire meeting by the title holders, pushed by a record crowd. 50,827 spectators were present in the red stands at Athletic Bilbao, almost all of them supporting the Catalan cause.

Facing one of the biggest teams in Europe, we needed the best player in the world to break the deadlock. Shortly after the hour mark, while the scoreboard was still blank, the Lyonnaises cracked on a subtle strike from 2023 Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati (63rd). A goal that came to punish the Lyonnaises who had suffered for a long time in the game, against a team against whom they had never lost on the European scene.

Barcelona’s opening score could even have happened much earlier in the din of San Mamés if the Blaugrana attackers, led by the elusive Caroline Graham Hansen, had shown more realism (10th, 45th+1), or if the Lyon rearguard had not thrown itself heroically into combat, like the two saves from Selma Bacha in her goal (28th) and Vanessa Gilles in her area (42nd+2).

But the OL players may also have regrets. Even without holding the ball (only 42% possession), they had a few opportunities to play a bad trick on the reigning champions (36th, 39th), particularly on set pieces. The Selma Bacha-Wendie Renard connection on a corner was felt (14th, 40th) but without succeeding in making the difference. With their backs to the wall, they raised their heads in the last half hour, helped by the entries of Ada Hegerberg and Amel Majri, who almost took on the costume of saviors. Before being punished by the second opposing goal, scored by Alexia Putellas at the end of added time (90th + 6), celebrated with the substitutes on the field and by an entire stadium on its feet, which then did not stop singing.

Sonia Bompastor’s players, who were aiming for a ninth title to improve their record and their control over the competition, will undoubtedly return to France with the feeling of having missed out on their meeting a little, and the bitter taste of a first defeat in the European final since 2013. For their part, the Barcelona women signed a first symbolic victory in their history against Olympique Lyonnais. They also won their first European double, after winning the 2023 edition a year ago, and at the same time won their third Champions League in four years.