The match may have gone the distance and required penalties to decide it but the 2016 UWCL Final was won by the right side, and they were pretty overwhelmed, as KIERAN THEIVAM reports…
Lyon’s Lotta Schelin described her side’s Champions League win over Wolfsburg as ‘crazy’ after bringing the curtain down on an eight year career with the French club writes Kieran Theivam (@WoSoZone).
Schelin (pictured below, centre), who will return home to Sweden this summer to an as yet unnamed club, lifted her third Champions League trophy with the club having won the competition ln both 2011 and 2012.
Despite those two previous wins and a host of trophies during her time in France, she said she had never felt anything like this before.
“It was crazy and I never ever felt something like this because it was really special,” she said.
“To win by penalty kicks is special because you know it can go either way, so it’s crazy and brings a lot of emotions.”
Schelin came into the game with just over ten minutes of the game remaining and the score at 1-0, a situation almost made for a player of her experience and class to try and hold the ball up and frustrate the opposition.
But it was Wolfsburg who levelled with two minutes remaining through Alex Popp’s headed equaliser (left), cancelling out Ada Hegerberg’s early goal.
It meant the 15,000+ crowd would get an extra half an hour of Schelin in her final game – it was almost meant to be.
Thankfully for the Swedish legend and her teammates, the penalty shoot out went their way, with Schelin visibly overcome after Saki Kumagai tucked away the decisive penalty.
She admits it was that moment, that everything hit her.
“Afterwards everything hit me and there were a lot of tears, happy and a lot of hugs,” she said.
“This club is so amazing and you can see that from what we’ve achieved over the last few years.
“We have a president who is amazing, it’s like a big family here, and it’s going to keep going.
“But I’m so happy I got these eight years with them and to be able to live something this is rare and something I treasure.”
Schelin leaves the French club with 41 UEFA Women’s Champions League goals, a record for a player at an individual club, with ell things indicating she will return to Sweden. She will do so content with the ‘triple’.
Staio Città del Tricolore – Reggio Emilia 26/05/2016 – 18:00CET (18:00 local time
