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Barcelona v OL Lyonnes: Women’s Champions League final – live | Women’s Champions League
Key events
88 mins: Barca are open to completely killing the fixture off but Endler easily comes to take a cross and sends Chawinga away. She gets behind the Barca defence but can’t find a teammate.
87 mins: Gordon has been back in touch: “Things were looking good for Lyonnes at HT but their midfield has lost energy and allowed Barcelona in. The French side were also too late with their subs. Nevertheless, Lyonnes have had chances, which could have turned the game. But turning into a very disappointing evening for the French side.”
86 mins: Kika and Camara are on. Brugts and Putellas are off.
84 mins: Do Lyon have anything left to give?
The energy has gone form their play.
Pina is down and holding her hamstring but wants to carry on.
82 mins: Bonmati is very much on the pitch to slow things down. A master of keeping possession.
80 mins: Barca are taking as much sting out of the game as possible. Game management is the name of the this particular game.
Pina has a dig but Endler is equal to it and then smashes the ball upfield. Lyon look done here.
78 mins: Kári Tulinius asks: “I realize this isn’t particularly important, but is it snowing in Oslo? Which seems unlikely, considering how sunny it is.”
I assume it is some insects flying around …
Joao emails: “I must say, I’d love to see Wendy Renard get one more big title, but I can’t wait to see if Vicky Lopez comes in. It’s not just her technical ability, which is excellent, but that way of playing where she seems to have more time than anyone else can only come from an amazing brain. And still so young.
“Oops, Barcelona scores a second. Désolé Wendy.”
76 mins: Chawinga is through one-on-one and has the chance to get Lyon back in the game but Cata Coll once again comes up with the goods.
74 mins: Durmornay catches Leon with an arm, leaving the Barca defender on the deck.
72 mins: Lyonnes send on Shrader for Yohannes.
Bonmati replaces Serrajordi.
GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Lyonnes (Pajor, 69)
Pajor is there again! Lyonnes are opened up, Pina diverts a cross towards goal, which Parralluelo sends back to Pajor to whack home.
68 mins: Putellas commits another foul on Dumornay and the referee finally finds her cards.
Bonmati is primed on the sidelines.
66 mins: Lyonnes have a corner on the right … it is taken short but Bacha makes it into the box and arrows are shot but it is blocked by a defender.
Hegerberg abd Becho off, Chawinga and Katoto on.
64 mins: The goal has certainly boosted Barca’s confidence and they are looking far more lively.
63 mins: Pina is on for Graham Hansen.
61 mins: Lyonnes produce another decent move, concluding with Becho forcing Cata Coll to tip it just wide.
The resulting corner is swiped over by Brand.
59 mins: Lyon need to settle back down …
57 mins: Lyon go up the other end and win a corner. Brand takes it shot and then gets it back but pings the ball straight out of play. What a waste.
Cata Coll is having a sit down, so everyone can take a rest. What a shambles.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Lyonnes (Pajor, 55)
Against the run of play, even if Barca have improved. The Polish forward receives a pass inside the box, gets the ball out of her feet and thrashes into the corner across Endler who can do nothing.
54 mins: Barca have a corner on the right … but Leon sends it over everyone and straight out of play. The assistant does not give it quickly, allowing Barca a chance from close range before reality returns.
Lyon show some nice football as part of a fine move but the final pass lets it down.
52 mins: The referee falls over and I have no idea why but everyone enjoys it.
It feels like the aggression levels have increased since the break.
50 mins: Hegerberg is through one on one but overthinks her finish, eventually forcing Cata Coll into a decent save. The offside flag goes up but it looks tight.
49 mins: Graham Hansen receives the ball on the edge of the box but she smashes well over the bar.
47 mins: A bit of a quiet start …
Second half
Here we go again!
Saurav emails: “Is Wendie Renard the greatest defender of our generation – men’s or women’s? I certainly think she has a creditable shout.
“Haven’t seen Barca Femeni be under so much pressure for a while now, I think they need to bring in Bonmati and Vicky Lopez as soon as they are able to get back control of the midfield.”
Gordon emails: “Tactically, Lyonnes have dominated, by pushing up and physically challenging Barcelona, which they are not used to. Barcelona cannot get any long spells of possession, and are being forced to untypically play the ball forward early. Barcelona’s best player has been Cata Coll – they’ve also committed far more fouls than the French side. Lyonnes know they are on top – and, once they replace the hapless Hegerberg with the much more potent Katoto, the goals will come.”
Half time: Barcelona 0-0 Lyonnes
A goalless first half dominated by the French side.
45+1 mins: Graham Hansen cuts in from the right and lets fly but her shot is deflected wide.
43 mins: Lyonnes have dominated this half. Barcelona have barely had any involvement. The Catalans will be happy to see half time, especially with the score goalless.
41 mins: Bacha eventually takes the free-kick, using plenty of power and whip, forcing Cata Coll into a flying save to her left to keep it out.
38 mins: Lawrence whips in a cross which Cata Coll punches clear.
In the next action, Pajor clatters into Dumornay just outside the box. She really should be going into the book.
36 mins: Putellas plays a sneaky pass to Pajoy on the edge of the box but she slices her shot well wide from 18 yards.
Parralluelo does well down the left and sends a low cross into the box but there is no one there to meet it.
A good couple of moments for Barca …
34 mins: Lyon have enjoyed around 60% possession. Maybe Barca are luring them into a false sense of security …
32 mins: Renard plays a superb pass through the Barca midfield for Bacha to chase. She reaches it down the left and whips in a cross but Cata Coll reads and collects.
30 mins: Lyon have another corner on the right and it creates pinball in the box but Barca scramble it clear.
28 mins: It is all Lyon at the moment, Barca need to change the dynamic.
26 mins: A Lyon corner is swung in from the right but it is greeted by a Barca head. The French side recycle it but cannot get a shot away.
24 mins: Dumoray has a chance to put in a cross but takes an extra touch, losing her the angle to find a teammate and Barcelona win the ball back.
Hegerberg looks like has the perfect chance inside she can’t get the ball under control soon enough and Putellas gets a block in.
Immediately after Brand goes through but has to shoot from a tight angle and cannot do the business.
22 mins: Leon takes ball and woman with a fierce tackle on Hegerberg but the defender comes off worse after catching a forearm in the neck.
20 mins: Lyon cause themselves problems by trying to play out from the back but Barcelona cannot make the most of it, despite a strong press.
18 mins: A simple ball over the top catches Lyonnes out; Endler thinks she can reach it but is nowhere near, allowing Pajor a chance to lob the goalkeeper but her shot goes just wide.
Now each team needs to settle back down and work things out. Lyon looking pretty calm and moving the ball quicker.
NO GOAL!
After a bizarrely long VAR review, the goal is chalked off for offside.
GOAL?! Lyon have a free-kick around 40 yards out, which is clipped into the box. Renard has a free header which the goalkeeper palms straight out and Heaps is there to nudged home from a yard or two.
12 mins: A first chance of the match. Putellas arrives in the box at the perfect time to meet a Graham Hansen cross but her shot lacks power and accuracy as it slips wide.
10 mins: Lyon are still looking the more comfortable but whenever they reach the final third their attacks seemingly break down.
8 mins: A lot of flirting so far but not much has really happened.
6 mins: Barcelona pump a free kick into the box but it is diverted well wide.
4 mins: Pajor barges into the back of Bacha to give away a free-kick.
Barcelona are yet to string two passes together.
2 mins: A third of the pitch is covered in shade but the rest is looking bright.
Lyon enjoy plenty of the ball early on as they look to calm any lingering nerves.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The players are heading out into the glorious Oslo sunshine.
Gordon’s been in touch: “I think Lyonnes will win today, as they present a physicality and a speed of movement that Barcelona rarely come up against. Bayern Munich gave Barcelona some problems in these respects in the semi-final, and Lyonnes are a considerable step-up from Bayern. Barcelona look to have recognised this, in selecting Parralluelo ahead of Pina. Lyonnes showed in the second leg of their semi against Arsenal that they can produce their best football when it really matters – and, in Dumornay, they have potentially the best woman player in the world. But, they have, to my mind, handicapped themselves by starting Hegerberg – so ineffective against Wolfsburg and Arsenal – instead of Katoto.”
Here is Tom Garry’s report from The Valley.
Charlton beat Leicester on penalties to reach WSL
Tom Garry
Sophie Whitehouse etched her name into Charlton folklore as she saved four penalties in the shootout to win her side promotion to the Women’s Super League and relegated Leicester in the process.
The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper’s heroics gave Charlton a 2-1 victory on penalties to settle the nerviest playoff tie you could imagine after a goalless 120 minutes. The result capped off a dismal season for Leicester, who have lost every match they have played in 2026, while for Charlton the joy was unbridled and it was a case of ‘second-time lucky’ after they had lost a decisive game on the regular season’s final day that had seen the miss out on automatic promotion.
Pre-match reading.
Starting lineups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Cata Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Leon, Brugts; Serrajordi, Guijarro, Putellas; Graham Hansen, Pajor, Parralluelo
Subs: G Font, T Font, Schertenleibm Torrejon, Pina, Bonmati, Nazareth, Lopez, Camara, Fenger, Ranera, Julia
Lyonnes (4-3-3): Endler; Lawrence, Renard, Engen, Bacha; Dumornay, Heaps, Yohannes; Becho, Hegerberg; Brand
Subs: Belhadj, Marchal, Schrader, Katoto, Egurrola, Fathallah, Sombath, Chawinga, Svava, Benyahia, Tarciane, Rafalski
Referee: Tess Olofsson
Preamble
It does not get much bigger than this. Neither Barcelona nor Lyonnes have made it this far through luck, they are the best two teams on the continent, boasting 11 Champions League titles between them.
Each side has won their respective domestic titles and will be looking to add a cherry in Oslo. Barcelona will look to outplay Lyon, with the slick football that has made them into the elite team they are, aided by being packed full of world class players, such as Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati.
Lyonnes, led by the former Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giraldez, are more physically imposing, which helped them battle past Arsenal in the semi-final. However, they certainly do not lack skill and quality across the park, with Wendie Renard providing the foundations at the back.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 5pm BST
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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