Lyon cruise to sixth Women's Champions League title

Lethal Lyon strolled to their fourth straight Women's Champions League crown with a 4-1 win against Barcelona in Budapest on Saturday.

A first-half hat-trick from star striker Ada Hegerberg followed an early opener by Germany captain Dzsenifer Marozsan to hand the French giants their sixth title overall.

Substitute Asisat Oshoala scored a consolation for first-time finalists Barca in the final minute.

Underdogs Barcelona were bidding to become the first club to win Champions League honours for both their men's and women's teams.

But the tie was settled within the half-hour as Barca, the first Spanish team to have ever reached the women's final, were swiftly overwhelmed by Reynald Pedros's powerful slick-passing side.

Budapest-born midfielder Marozsan, cheered throughout by local fans in a packed 22,000-capacity Ferencvaros Stadium, set Lyon on their way after just five minutes.

The 27-year-old turned a Shanice van de Sanden cross past Barcelona goalkeeper Sandra Panos, triggering chants of "Hungaria-Hungaria!" from the stands.

Then Lyon's chief executioner Hegerberg, 23, put Barcelona to the sword with a quick-fire treble to delight their travelling support of around 500.

Her first arrived on 14 minutes when she tapped in another van de Sanden cross from the right flank.

Five minutes later, again unmarked in the box, the tall striker was fed from the left by Amel Majri and clinically finished past the hapless Panos.

Then on the half-hour an in-swinger from English right-back Lucy Bronze evaded a despairing Panos lunge to reach the Norwegian who side-footed home her third and Lyon's fourth.

A shellshocked Barcelona, who had not conceded a goal in six Champions League ties before the final, almost got a lifeline though seconds before half-time but Alexia Putellas headed just over a glorious chance from a corner.

Lyon, rampant in the first half, eased up in the second although they nearly extended their lead when Eugenie Le Sommer fired just over on 50 minutes after running onto a Marozsan backheel.

A lob from Barcelona's captain Vicky Losada that shaved the bar 15 minutes from the end almost produced a consolation goal for Luis Cortes's team.

That finally came in the last minute when Oshoala calmly slotted home from the edge of the area.

But for all-conquering Lyon, who only squeeze past Barcelona 2-1 in last year's quarter-finals, their victory in the Hungarian capital was never in doubt.

? 2019 AFP