Kiev: Lyon defeated Wolfsburg 4-1 to win a third consecutive Uefa Women’s Champions League title and their fifth overall, a new record for the competition.
The 90 minutes of regulation time between the two powerhouses of women’s club football in Europe -this was the third time they played each other in the final — offered little in the way of excitement on Thursday.
Both of their previous meetings were tight. Wolfsburg won 1-0 in the 2013 final, while Lyon prevailed on penalties in 2016, so nobody was surprised when the match went into extra time.
What was a pleasant surprise for the fans at Kiev’s Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium was the ensuing offensive explosion.
After emphasising defence in regulation, Wolfsburg shifted gears to take a 1-0 lead with Pernille Harder’s goal in the 93rd minute.
But the German side’s euphoria was short-lived, as they found themselves down to 10 players after Alexandra Popp was sent off for a second yellow card.
Amandine Henry equalised for Lyon in the 98th minute and the French club pulled ahead a minute later on a goal by Eugenie Le Sommer, assisted by late sub Shanice van de Sanden, who also contributed to Ada Hegerberg’s strike in the 103rd minute to put the side up 3-1.
Camille Abily, playing in her record 81st Champions League match, added a fourth goal in the 116th minute.
Hegerberg also made history, setting a new mark for the most goals in a Women’s Champions League campaign with 15 goals.
