Lyon (w) 4-1 Barcelona (w)
All hail Ada Hegerberg!
For here is a footballer at the top of her game.
If SBOBET fans should watch any woman footballer now, it is the Norwegian, who hit a sensational 16-minute hat-trick to ensure Lyon were crowned European champions again.
For the fourth successive year, in fact.
Right now, Lyon are simply stunning, turning Barcelona’s dream Women’s Champions League final into a traumatic nightmare that they must have wanted to end after half an hour.
Highlights of the game
Yes, the Women’s Champions League 2019 betting odds were in Lyon’s favour, but few expected this in Budapest’s Ferencváros Stadium.
At 23, Hegerberg is threatening to rewrite the competition record books in the way Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have done in the men’s UEFA Champions League.
There will be far more respect when she picks up her next individual award as she surely will before the year is out.
Here was further evidence of her clinical touch in front of goal as Lyon were superior, stronger, sharper and more skilful in every single department.
After five minutes they were in front. Seconds after England’s Toni Duggan went close for Barca, Lyon broke down the right led by the pacy Shanice van de Sanden, whose cross was turned home first-time by Budapest-born Dzsenifer Marozsan.
Within another nine minutes that lead was doubled. Again, van de Sanden was too quick and her pinpoint low cross was converted by Hegerberg.
And she was only just getting started.
First, she was clinical from 10 yards after the ball was squared across goal by Amel Majri.
Then England right-back Lucy Bronze bent a cross in from the right and Hegerberg timed her run to perfection to complete a quick-fire treble.
Ruthless Lyon had simply blown Barcelona away as Hegerberg produced a hat-trick of Women’s Champions League 2019 highlights.
There was just a minute remaining when Barca notched a consolation as Lieke Martens’ found Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala. The former Liverpool and Arsenal star picked her spot to provide the only bright spot for the Catalans.
How Norway must wish they had Hegerberg when the Women’s World Cup begins next month – she continues to boycott the Norwegian national team due to how it is handled by the Norwegian FA in comparison to the men’s team.
How brilliant is she? I’ll leave that to you to decide!
Key statistics
Hegerberg is the first player to score a hat-trick in a Women’s Champions League final, with the competition having been rebranded back in 2010.
The last player to net three times in a European women’s final was Inka Grings for Duisburg of Germany in 2009, when the previously-named UEFA Women’s Cup final was played over two legs.
Lyon have not lost a single competitive game this season. They recently sealed their 13th consecutive French title. This is their fourth treble and 23rd major trophy of the 2010s.
Barcelona were the 13th different Women’s Champions League finalists, with Spain the seventh nation to have a club in the decider.
Despite her hat-trick, Hegerberg did not reclaim the prize for top scorer in the tournament that she won last season. She finishes on seven goals along with Krystyna Freda (Somatio Barcelona) but one behind Wolfsburg’s Pernille Harder.
Sarah Bouhaddi, Wendie Renard, and Eugénie Le Sommer have set a new record of six final victories, all for Lyon.
Japan’s Saki Kumagai became the first Asian to 50 tournament appearances in the final for Lyon.
Oshoala, who scored as a substitute in this match, is the first senior African international to play in the final of this competition.
What’s next?
That is it for 2018/19 for both clubs. One in which Lyon have dominated and one in which Barca have been behind Atletico Madrid domestically. There was a six-point gap in the Spanish league.
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