Barcelona's Ewa Pajor Shines in Champions League Final Victory

Five times the bridesmaid, finally the bride, the Barcelona forward Ewa Pajor shrugged off the pain of all her Champions League final losses, scoring twice, as they punished a profligate Lyonnes to earn a fourth European title.

Pajor stole the show, before Salma Paralluelo’s sublime double at the death doubled their tally. The Polish forward moved two goals clear of Alessia Russo’s nine to secure this season’s golden boot, but it was the trophy with sweeping ribbon-like handles that was all Pajor coveted.

This was also a big moment for Barcelona’s manager Pere Romeu, who stepped out of the shadow of the man he replaced, Jonatan Giráldez, to deliver his first European title as manager of the Catalan giants at the expense of his former boss. It would have gone a long way to make up for the disappointment of losing this final last year against Arsenal. Giráldez is now the Lyonnes head coach.

It was a chess match in the Ullevaal Stadion between two teams that like to dominate games and somewhat unexpectedly it was Barcelona ceding possession in the first half. The eight-time champions, Lyonnes, had 56% of the ball before the break and they looked the better side for it. The French giants frustrated their opponents. Their dogged press was particularly effective in the middle, where they didn’t always win the second balls but ruptured any rhythm Barça attempted to build.

Lyonnes also went closest to taking the lead when a free-kick from the right was whipped in towards Wendie Renard and the veteran centre-back sent a header goalwards that was stopped by the strong stretched hand of Cata Coll, before Lindsey Heaps turned in the follow-up from close range. However, after a weirdly lengthy pause for a video assistant referee check, the goal was ruled out with Heaps having been narrowly offside.

Barcelona were better after the break, but Lyonnes were equally as wasteful when their opportunities came. In previous years you would have put your house on the Champions League record goalscorer Ada Hegerberg finding the back of the net when one-on-one but when that chance came early in the second half the 30-year-old hesitated for the briefest of moments and it was enough for Coll to block the effort.

That profligacy was costly, with Romeu’s side taking the lead against the run of play. Patricia Guijarro found Pajor and the Polish forward’s neat first touch took her away from the centre-back Ingrid Engen before she fired low past Christiane Endler into the far corner. Pajor’s face was a picture as she let out a huge roar in celebration after breaking the deadlock.

Lyonnes were rattled, they had asked questions of Barcelona but failed to capitalise. Tabitha Chawinga and Marie-Antoinette Katoto came on to try and deliver answers for Giráldez’s side but Barcelona turned the screw, loudly roared on by the block of Barça faithful behind Endler’s goal.

Pajor’s second came 14 minutes later. Paralluelo kept the ball in after a low cross took a touch off Clàudia Pina and drifted wide of the far post and she cut it back to Pajor who thundered the ball in from close range.

Lyonnes had the chance to reduce the deficit when Chawinga was played through but once again Coll stayed big long enough to put off the forward and block her effort.

Paralluelo’s double in the 90th and 93rd minutes put the cherry on the cake, exposing the space left by the now desperate Lyonnes. First, she fired into the top corner from the edge of the box, then she clipped the ball in after Pajor selflessly squared to her.

Barcelona claimed their fourth title in six years in style and it was deserved – they were clinical and cutting when Lyonnes were not.