Lyon seal third women’s Champions League title
‘Promotion about pride & not cash’
Lyon claimed their third women’s Champions League title with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Wolfsburg after the final finished 1-1 in Reggio Emilia.
Norwegian Ada Hederberg gave the French side a 12th-minute lead, but OL failed to put the game to bed and Germany international striker Alexandra Popp pounced to equalise with just two minutes left of the regular 90.
LONDON, May 27, (AFP): Steve Bruce insists Hull City will be motivated by glory rather than greed when they face Sheffield Wednesday for the lucrative prize of promotion to the Premier League in Saturday’s Championship play-off final.
With television revenue for Premier League clubs due to increase next season, the winner of the second-tier showdown at Wembley will land a record cash windfall to go along with their place in the top flight.
Wednesday would earn at least £170 million ($246 million) from promotion and that figure could rise to £290 million if they avoid relegation.
Hull can also expect a huge revenue boost if they triumph, although the value to them is less, at £110 million, as they will have to forgo parachute payments pending following their relegation from the Premier League last year.
But Hull boss Bruce isn’t worried about trying to improve the club’s bank balance because he knows his players are solely focused on achieving a promotion that will allow them to face the country’s best on the biggest stage.
After the anguish of relegation 12 months ago, former Manchester United defender Bruce has led Hull to within one game of an instant return to the elite and he ranks Saturday’s clash as one of the most important games of his illustrious career.
“This of course ranks up with the biggest for a long, long time because of what’s at stake,” Bruce said.
“If you can get into the Premier League now it can really secure your club with the amount of money which is washing about, it’s quite unbelievable.
“But the one thing about a footballer is they don’t worry about when they go on to a pitch is money.
“All this ‘it’s a £170 million game’, for them it’s to perform on the biggest stage and who’s going to be the hero if there is going to be one.”
Extra time could not separate the two teams, who now have five Champions League crowns between them, as it went to penalties.
Two-time winners Wolfsburg, who beat Lyon in the 2013 final, were given an immediate boost in the shootout as 20-year-old Hegerberg, the top scorer in the competition this term with 13 goals in nine games, missed Lyon’s opening spot-kick.
But goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi saved Hegerberg’s blushes with stops from Nilla Fischer and former Lyon teammate Elise Bussaglia, to give her team a 4-3 win on penalties.
“During the shoot out we never stopped believing and Sarah made the saves, We were getting sick of losing to German sides on penalties,” Lyon midfielder Camille Abily said after the game. (AFP) Olympique Lyonnais’ defender from Japan Saki Kumagai celebrates after scoring the winning penalty at the end of the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final football match VFL Wolfsburg vs Lyon at the Citta del Tricolore Stadium in
Reggio Emilia on May 26. (AFP)