Champions' League Final

Olympique Lyonnaise 2 Turbine Potsdam 0

Aside from a 10, 15 minute period early in the second half, Lyon were clearly superior to Turbine.

Bernd Schröder didnt spring any surprises in his starting lineup, with kerschowski replacing the injured Nagasato in attack.

Patrice Lair, on the other hand, opted to my horror for Elodie Thomis.

Lyon dominated, with Turbine looking to attack on the break. Turbine lost both tactically and individually. their key players never got into the game or were nullified by the Lyon players, and their 3-women defence was simply exposed when Lyon went direct, exploiting the pace of Elodie Thomis, who did well in the first half, showing surprising skill and composure, though the final ball was lacking.

why didn't Schröder make any changes? his best team was already out there. he had no cards left to play. i think looking back, he would rue the chances they didn't put away in that spell where they really threatened.

bouhaddi 7.5
was stable in goal. i haven't been the most ardent of believers in her ability, but she plucked the crosses turbine put in out of the air with ease and the defence wasnt afraid to play the ball back to her. she was a decisive and calming presence at the back.

bompastor 7.5
her class showed, winning the 1v1s against bajramaj, which was so crucial in lyon's game plan. the experience and class that she brings to the team cannot be understated.

georges 6
had a poor start where she was responsible for some confusion which put lyon under pressure, but recovered and adopted a safety first approach.

viguier 7
solid and aggressive in defence. i think anja mittag didnt find much joy against georges and viguier.

renard 7
was brilliant in the first half, her long legs stealing the balls off kerchowski and bajramaj on the right. faded off towards the end of the game.

henry 8
superb skills for a defensive midfielder, calming presence, brilliant in her tackles, winning and holding the ball, and distributing it

cruz 7.5
worked in tandem with henry. the duo were like the cogs in the lyon machine, allowing the attackers to play their game

abily 8
kept things going in attack, and was back there to provide that extra woman in midfield to win the midfield battle.

necib 6
a quiet game by her standards. was given little space, but held the ball well and linked up well with bompastor. but i felt that she didnt show what she was capable of.

thomis 6.5
her performance in the first half brought me surprise and relief. she thrilled the crowd with some great skills, but the final ball was lacking. she was threatening to undo all her good work in the first half in the second half, not making the right decisions

schelin 9
my player of the match. that perfect forward. intelligent in her use of the ball, her link-up play, pace, technique and strength to beat her marker, and vision to pick out her fellow attackers. the only thing missing was a goal.

dickenmann 8
she added drive down lyon's left flank. made use of the ball well. her confidence and ability were best summed up in that decisive second goal.

le sommer 7,5
showed superb strength to create that space to send in the cross for dickenmann's goal. i thought she was bright in the 20 minutes she played.

patrice lair 8
patrice lair had a game plan that worked perfectly. i am not sure if he really wanted to bring off necib so early. necib could have had picked up a knock, thus forcing his hand. but in any case, his 2 subs swung the game back towards lyon.

sarholz 6
the heroine of last year's final. did pull off a few good saves, but simply wasn't as solid as bouhaddi.

peter 6
didnt have the best of days.

wesely 5
misjudged le sommer's cross, allowing dickenmann to score. but in truth, the young defender was out of her depth in this game. she hasn't been convincing in the league, and was cruelly exposed today.

henning 5,5
like the whole defence, didn't have a good game.

kemme 5,5
great last ditch tackle on le sommer in the last 10 minutes, but was otherwise largely cancelled out by renard.

schmidt 5,5
ran her guts out, but it was not enough

zietz 5
tried to rally her troops towards the end, but the midfield battle was lost.

odebrecht 5
anonymous in the game.

anja mittag 5
her legs didnt respond to her. probably had the clearest of chances to equalise but missed the ball. totally off day.

kerchowski 6
put in a few crosses and got to the end of a cross early in the game, but bouhaddi was equal to everything she threw in.

bajramaj 5,5
was cancelled out by lyon. even in turbine's best phase of the game, she was not quite in it.

schröder 6
schröder had his hands tied.

turbine could give the following excuses for their failure today:
1) the national team preparation hampered their own preparation
2) the problems in their hotel on arrival, making some players feel ill
3) nagasato's injury
4) lyon really invested and have strong financial backing

but i think schröder himself would admit that they have been second best.

i have always argued against the 3-4-3, and in my preview, noted that lyon's 4-3-3 on paper would counter it perfectly. so in terms of tactics and system, lyon already had an edge. what was crucial was the individual performances. if the turbine players could beat their opponents on those 1v1s, then that could still make a difference. but lyon were really up for it, turbine perhaps less so and paid the price.

it was a rather comprehensive victory for lyon in the end.

so, lyon have finally succeeded in their mission to become champions of europe. and they have done it in some style.

now what?