Barcelona women come from 2-0 down to win second Champions League title - Lejit Reporters
Barcelona women come from 2-0 down to win second Champions League title - Lejit Reporters
Barcelona won a second Women's Champions League title after coming from behind in stunning fashion to beat German giants Wolfsburg.
The Spanish champions trailed 2-0 at half-time before Patri Guijarro's two-minute brace pulled them level.
Spurred on by their instant response in the second half, Barcelona piled on the pressure and were eventually rewarded.
Fridolina Rolfo got the winner, thumping it into the roof of the net from close range with 20 minutes left.
After losing their crown to Lyon in last year's final, Barcelona travelled to Eindhoven as favourites against a very strong Wolfsburg side, who were seeking a third European trophy in 10 years.
Wolfsburg got off to the perfect start when competition top scorer Ewa Pajor robbed the ball off England defender Lucy Bronze, returning after knee surgery in April, to drive in the opener.
Germany international Alexandra Popp was then set-up by Pajor with a teasing cross - the striker making no mistake as she headed in Wolfsburg's second.
Barcelona had lacked fluency and patience in the first half but it was no surprise they bounced back, displaying the quality of football that helped them reach a fourth final in five seasons.
Among Barcelona's winners was England midfielder Keira Walsh, who picked up her first European title, while Bronze became the first English woman to win the trophy with two different clubs after winning it on three consecutive occasions with former club Lyon between 2018 and 2020.
Bronze became a serial winner of this competition while at Lyon, picking up the last of her titles going into this final when they beat Wolfsburg in 2020.
She knew she could create history by winning a fourth crown with a second club but it was a disaster start when she lost possession to Pajor and was punished by her ruthlessness.
It continued to be a tough first half for Bronze. She had her hands full with Pajor and was not able to get forward as much as she liked.
As the game wore on, Barcelona's quality pulled through with superstars Caroline Graham Hansen and Aitana Bonmati showing individual skill on the right to set-up Guijarro twice in as many minutes.
Walsh was marked out for most of the game and had little impact before she was substituted late on after Maria Caldentey poked it into Rolfo's path for Barcelona's third.
But it was an unforgettable evening for the former Manchester City player, winning her first European title in her debut season for Barcelona after leaving childhood club last summer for a world-record transfer fee.
It caps off a stunning year for English duo Bronze and Walsh, who played a key role in the Lionesses' success at Euro 2022 and add this trophy to the Spanish league title they secured a few weeks ago.
