Lucy Bronze has said Alexia Putellas showed why she is the “queen of Barcelona” after the two-time Ballon d'Or winner came off the bench to score the second goal in Barcelona's 2-0 victory in the final of the Champions League over Lyon on Saturday.
Putellas fired home in injury time after Aitana Bonmatí opened the scoring early in the second half and Barca sealed back-to-back Champions League trophies, winning the competition for the third time in four years.
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“Alexia is the captain of the team and she is the queen of Barcelona for a reason,” England defender Bronze told DAZN after the match.
“She always has a lot of confidence in the team and today she showed why she won the Ballon d'Or consecutively.
“He has the quality to do it in the last minute of the Champions League final, when we faced each other at the end and that sealed the victory for us. It was incredible.”
Barça, which had the bulk of the 50,827 in attendance at San Mamés in Bilbao, which was a record for a women's Champions League final, had never beaten French champion Lyon in four previous attempts.
Two of those defeats came in the Champions League finals, in 2019 and 2022, and there was a feeling that they needed to beat the eight-time European champions to really establish themselves as one of the best teams in history.
“We knew that was what we needed to be a club that really made history,” Bronze said.
“It's difficult to win it once, but by doing it twice in a row, Lyon showed how difficult it is and this team has finally done it. I think we went down in history as one of the best teams in Europe.”
Success in Europe follows a domestic treble (F League, Queen's Cup and Spanish Super Cup) as Barça win the quadruple for the first time in the club's history.
Putellas, who signed a new two-year contract earlier this week, said winning back-to-back European trophies and all four trophies was the goal set at the start of the campaign.
“Our goal was to win four out of four,” the Spanish international told TVE. “After the Champions League final last season, we said we wanted to be here in Bilbao because we knew what it would mean.
“We can't ask for anything more. We have achieved everything we wanted. Every minute of sacrifice has been worth it, and I would say not after the game, but before, just entering the stadium, with all the support we had here was worth it.” grief”.
Bonmatí, owner of the Ballon d'Or, also praised the role of traveling support in northern Spain.
“It's incredible… just incredible,” he told TVE. “It feels like Camp Nou, [the Olympic Stadium in] Montjuïc or Johan [Cruyff Stadium]. All we can say is thank you to the fans, we love you so much.
“No, [winning the quadruple has not sunk in yet]. I'm on cloud nine right now. “It is a historic day that we will remember forever.”
The victory over Lyon also marks the end of an era for coach Jonatan Giráldez, who will join the NWSL's Washington Spirit next month.
Giráldez leaves after winning 10 trophies out of 12 during three years in charge, reaching the Champions League final in each of those seasons.
“It is impossible [to imagine a better send off]”, he told TVE. “It's a dream day. It's hard to explain in words the feeling I have right now.
“It's such a special moment. I'm proud of all the players, staff and fans who have been here. It's one of the happiest days of my life.
“I hope the night lasts a long time,” Giráldez continued. “That we can enjoy it and celebrate it with all of us who are here because it is an unforgettable day.”
Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor expressed her disappointment that her team fell at the final hurdle of a European campaign that had seen them reach San Mamés without tasting defeat.
“Obviously it's a big disappointment. We knew that tonight was going to be a big challenge, that it was going to be a difficult game against a great team. Congratulations to Barcelona for winning this final. They are a great team.” “We would have needed to play a perfect game but, above all, we should have been more efficient in attack to achieve a better result,” said Bompastor.
“I am proud of my players' run to the final. This run has been extraordinary and they have worked hard to be here tonight. Let's digest this disappointment tonight and see what we have to work on.” “To return with the ambition of winning this Champions League.”
The final could possibly be Bompastor's last game in charge of Lyon, and a source has told ESPN that the former French midfielder is close to replacing Emma Hayes as Chelsea manager.
