Barcelona thrashed Chelsea 4-0 to win their historic maiden UEFA Women’s Champions League title.
Barcelona raced into an early lead after just 33 seconds as Lieke Martens’ shot rebounded off the bar and a low return cross into the box from Caroline Graham Hansen was deflected by Melanie Leupolz into her own goal.
Alexia Putellas added their second from a 14th minute penalty rolled down the middle after Leupolz fouled Jennifer Hermoso, who went screaming to ground to win the spot kick.
Aitana Bonmati and Graham Hansen proceeded to add two further first half goals from close range, which proved enough to seal a maiden Women’s Champions League title after finishing runners-up to Lyon in 2019.
This result also saw Barcelona create history as not only the first Spanish winners of the Women’s Champions League, but also the first club to have won the competition across both the men and women’s game.
Barcelona made a bright start from kick-off to race forward with Martens breaking from an intercepted pass to cut in from the left, curling her shot onto bar which fell for Graham Hansen to cross in and Leupolz unfortunately deflected into her own net.
Pernille Harder missed an immediate chance to respond just one minute later as she flicked Jessica Carter’s cross over the bar.
Harder went close again six minutes later as she met Leupolz’s long ball via a flick-on from Sam Kerr, yet the Danish striker’s shot was deflected wide by Sandra Panos before Magdalena Eriksson headed the resulting corner wide.
Four minutes later, Graham Hansen pulled a low cross back from the right for Hermoso only for the Spanish international to be clipped by Leupolz, falling to ground screaming to win a controversial penalty.
Following a VAR check, Putellas stepped up and rolled the penalty down the middle to put the 2018-19 runners-up two goals ahead.
Eight minutes later, Martens found Hermoso who played a pass through which found Bonmati to rifle across into the bottom right corner, thereby putting the reigning Primera Division champions in firm control of the match.
Putellas and Kerr proceeded to miss chances at opposite ends but Barcelona added a fourth goal in the 36th minute, with Martens collecting a diagonal cross and raced to the goal line where she pulled back for Graham Hansen to tap in.
Harder saw a 41st minute curled shot towards the bottom left corner saved by Panos as Chelsea failed to find a breakthrough goal before half time.
Emma Hayes decided to make a half-time change to her Chelsea team and substituted Leupolz for Guro Reiten, which had a positive effect as the Blues threatened early in the second half.
A corner was initially played away from the box but the return cross found Eriksson who was shoved to ground by Maria Leon, with referee – Riem Hussein refusing to award a penalty.
Graham Hansen missed a chance to add a fifth goal for Barcelona on the hour mark after cutting in from the left, only for Berger to punch her shot clear away from the right corner.
Niamh Charles won a free-kick eight minutes later which was whipped in by Reiten to Harder whose header could only find Panos’ palms in a comfortable save.
Charles two minutes later was again involved in another chance as she played an one-two with Fran Kirby, before finding Harder who flicked her pass on the bounce for Kerr with the Australian only able to head over.
Both teams thereafter exchanged various opportunities with Chelsea substitute, Erin Cuthbert going closest in the 87th minute with a long-range shot which was comfortably saved by Panos.
Barcelona eventually clung on to take victory as they became the first-ever club to have won Europe’s premier football competition across both the male and female games.
Teams
Chelsea: Ann-Katrin Berger (GK), Jessica Carter, Millie Bright, Magdalena Eriksson, Niamh Charles, Melanie Leupolz (Reiten 46′), Sophie Ingle, Ji So-yun (Cuthbert 73′), Fran Kirby, Pernille Harder, Sam Kerr (England 73′)
Subs: Zecira Musovic (GK), Hannah Blundell, Bethany England, Guro Reiten, Jessie Fleming, Erin Cuthbert, Drew Spence, Jonna Andersson, Carly Telford (GK), Jorja Fox, Agnes Beever-Jones
Barcelona: Sandra Panos (GK), Marta Torrejon (Crnogorčević 82′), Maria Leon, Leila Ouahabi (Serrano 82′), Kheira Hamraoui, Alexia Putellas (Losada 71′), Patricia Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen (Caldentey 62′), Lieke Martens, Jennifer Hermoso (Oshoala 71′)
Subs: Cata Coll (GK), Laia Codina, Melanie Serrano, Vicky Losada, Mariona Caldentey, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, Asisat Oshoala, Jana Fernandez, Bruna Vilamala
Bookings; Ingle (Chelsea), Ouahabi (Barcelona)
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