Lyon break Barça hearts to take back Champions League crown

Olympique Lyonnais are champions of Europe for the sixth time in seven years. 

The French side outclassed Barcelona and beat the Catalans 3-1 to win back the Champions League crown. 

The result means the European title goes back to France after the Catalans had claimed their first ever continental crown last season, breaking Lyon’s consecutive run of championships.

A stunning strike from distance into the top corner from Amandine Henry gave Lyon an early lead that sunk Catalan hearts.

The French outfit were efficient and ruthless in attack, and were 3-0 to the good just after half an hour, thanks to goals from Ada Hegerberg and Catarina Macario. 

However, the negative scoreline didn’t break Barcelona’s resistance, as the Catalans got on the ball and started to dominate possession and playing themselves back into the game. 

An Alexia Putellas half-volley gave Barça hope, and shortly into the second half a comeback really could have been on the cards when Patri Guijarro hit the bar from inside the center circle. However, despite some more half-chances, there would be no more goals in the game, as Barça's attack was severely blunted by the strength and resolution of the Lyon defensive block. 

A crowd of around 3,000 gathered in Plaça Catalunya to experience the game atmosphere live in the city center. 

Despite the result, belief grew as the half went on as Barça tried to play their way back into the game, and the crowd became more and more boisterous as they watched their team move the ball swiftly and create opportunities. 

After the full time whistle, dozens of supporters were still in the mood to cheer their team’s successes, as well as chant against some of their biggest rivals, Real Madrid and PSG.