UWCL Final 2022: A Tactical Masterclass from Sonia Bompastor

The 2022 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final (UWCL) was highly anticipated, arguably the best two teams in Europe going head-to-head: FC Barcelona, who defeated Chelsea 4-0 in last year's Final in Gothenburg, and Lyon, who have won every single UWCL since 2016 with the exception of Barça's 2021 triumph.

This match-up was supposed to be something of a redemption for holders Barcelona as they looked to exact revenge after the 4-1 defeat, they suffered at the hands of Olympique Lyonnais in the 2019 Final in Budapest. Unfortunately for FC Barcelona Femini, Sonia Bompastor and Lyon had a game plan that they executed perfectly.

Designed to frustrate Barca and prevent them from playing their much-admired possession-based football, Lyon took control of the game right from the off and implemented a highly physical and defensively solid style of play which enabled them to counterattack to utilise their lethal attacking prowess. Let’s take a look how Lyon became European champions for the eighth time since 2011.