A week after the success (1-0) of Bayern Munich on PSG, it is another Franco-German duel which will be disputed at the top of Europe, female this time, this Sunday (8 p.m., live on W9 and Canal +), at the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastián (Spain). The Parisians still eliminated (0-1) by Lyon in the semifinals, so it’s up to OL once again to save the honor of French football. The Lyonnaises, six-fold winners of the event and quadruple title-holders, find an old acquaintance in front of Wolfsburg, Barcelona loser (1-0) in the semi-final.
A great European classic
Since 2011, the Women’s Champions League has only escaped once to Lyon (6 titles in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019) or Wolfsburg (2 titles in 2013 and 2014), in this case in 2015 with the success of Frankfurt ahead of PSG. OL will play their ninth final and Wolfsburg their fifth.
It is the sixth time that the two clubs have met on the European stage and the fourth time in the final. The Germans had won the first confrontation in 2013 in London (1-0) before suffering the law of the French in 2016 next to Milan (2-1) and in 2018 in Kiev (4-1 after extra time). Since their last duel in March 2019 in the quarter-finals (2-1 and 4-2 for Lyon), Wolfsburg has been undefeated in all competitions, a series of 40 matches.
The reunion will be even more special for Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir, who should still be lined up by Jean-Luc Vasseur to make up for the absence of Amandine Henry. The Icelandic, very prominent against PSG on Wednesday, arrived in Lyon on July 1 from… Wolfsburg. Unlike the men’s event, UEFA regulations allowed clubs qualifying for this Women’s Final 8 to six recruits, three of whom had already participated in the Champions League with their previous club during the season.
OL in the footsteps of Real
If they win on Sunday, the daughters of Jean-Michel Aulas would join in history the legendary Real Madrid of Di Stefano, winner of the men’s C1 five years in a row (between 1956 and 1960). By wearing a seventh crown in ten editions, they would even do “better” since the Spanish team, crowned again in 1966, had therefore won six times in eleven seasons.
Francisco Gento is the only man to have won all six with Real. Present without interruption in the Lyon workforce since the first European epic, Sarah Bouhaddi, Wendie Renard and Eugénie Le Sommer can beat this record by winning their seventh C1.
Captain Renard, head scorer against PSG, will play her 88th Champions League match and further consolidate her status as the player who has played the most games in the history of women’s competition.
Finally, VAR
If the VAR will be used during this final, for the first time in the history of the Women’s Champions League, its absence in the quarter and semi-finals has caused a lot of saliva and ink to flow. Almost every actor and actress in Final 8 lamented it. Starting with the Parisian coach Olivier Echouafni after the victorious quarter (2-1) against Arsenal, who had equalized on an offside goal. The match’s referee, the Swiss Esther Staubli, will officiate in the final this Sunday.
After a hotly contested and hooked semi-final, the Parisian and Lyon clans were critical of the refereeing of Ms. Pustovoitova, too severe for the first, not enough for the second. But all agreed on at least one point: the need for VAR in women’s C1. She could have changed the course of the other semi-final as Barcelona should have been awarded a penalty after a blatant hand from a Wolfsburg defender.
The VAR was introduced during the Women’s World Cup last year in France.
