Barcelona Avenge Lyon Defeats To Win Third Women's Champions League

Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas struck to earn Barcelona their third women's Champions League trophy, securing a 2-0 triumph over record eight-time winners Lyon on Saturday. The defending champions had never beaten the French giants, losing in the 2019 and 2022 finals against them, but finally succeeded in Bilbao to compete a spectacular quadruple this season in coach Jonatan Giraldez's last match in charge. Bonmati pounced after 63 minutes and substitute Putellas finished the job in stoppage time to avenge Barcelona's prior defeats by Sonia Bompastor's side.

Securing their third Champions League trophy from five final appearances across the last six seasons, Barcelona demonstrated that they are the new powerhouse of the women's game.

Barca stars insisted this time they were capable of beating Lyon, adding experience and mental strength to their undoubted talent, and so it proved at a packed San Mames.

Backed by the vast majority of a 51,000 record crowd at a women's Champions League final, Bonmati and her side completed one of the few outstanding challenges remaining to them.

"It's the first time we've beaten Lyon, I'm proud of the team, and we know that with these fans we have, we can't fail," Bonmati told DAZN.

"It's incredible what we're living through as a team, I'm so lucky... to see we're creating that for so many people, the historic amount of fans we've brought, it's the proudest I've felt, I wouldn't change it for anything."

Giraldez started Mariona Caldentey in attack and moved Fridolina Rolfo to left-back, dropping Ona Batlle to the bench alongside two-time Ballon d'Or winner Putellas.

Lyon left Ada Hegerberg on the bench too, with the all-time top scorer in the competition's history struggling for form