Barcelona lifted their third UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy and secured back-to-back titles in the competition after overcoming Lyon 2-0 at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. Defender Lucy Bronze said the feat would see the team “go down in history” and praised goalscorer Alexia Putellas, who has struggled to find form this season after recovering from an ACL injury.
Barcelona will “go down in history” after winning back-to-back UEFA Women’s Champions League titles, according to defender Lucy Bronze.
Midfield maestros Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas both scored to give Barcelona a 2-0 win against Lyon, successfully defending their European title and securing a historic Quadruple.
It was the first time Barcelona had ever beaten Lyon, who have won the Women’s Champions League a record eight times.
The Spanish side defeated Chelsea to win their first European title in 2021, before overcoming Wolfsburg last season.
Bronze said that Barcelona “needed” to win the Women’s Champions League back-to-back to be considered a great team.
“We knew that that’s what we needed to be a club that really made history,” she told DAZN. “It’s not easy, it’s hard to win it once but to do it back-to-back… Lyon showed how difficult it is. This team’s finally done that.
“I think we’ll go down in history as one of the best teams in Europe. All of our family will be staying around. We’ve won it all so we’ve got a lot to celebrate.”
Bronze also spoke about Putellas, who has struggled to re-establish her place in the Barcelona team this season after recovering from an ACL injury.
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner celebrated her stoppage-time goal passionately after coming on as a substitute.
“[Putellas is] the captain of the team, she’s the queen of Barcelona for a reason,” said Bronze. “She’s had to work really hard to get back fit and showed why she is a back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner.
“She’s got the quality to do that in the last minute of the Champions League final when we were up against it a little bit at the end and just sealed the win for us. It was amazing.”
Bronze lifted her fifth Women’s Champions League trophy, having won twice with Barcelona and three times with Lyon.
England team-mate Keira Walsh earned her second Women’s Champions League title and said that she was “really, really happy” with the result at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao.
“I think we played a good game today,” she said. “I’ve lost my voice from all the shouting.
“For us today it felt like a home game, I think to do it in front of all our fans was really special. These girls are special.”
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