Barcelona had glided closer to perfection than any women's soccer team ever. It soared to a treble in 2021, then orchestrated an encore that, as of Saturday afternoon, had seemed even more untouchable. Barca had scored 159 goals and conceded 11 en route to a 30-0-0 record in Spain. It had discarded Champions League contenders in front of 90,000-plus fans who'd come to both expect and appreciate dominance.
It was the super-team of all super-teams until, on Saturday in Turin, in the Champions League final, it ran head-first into the super-club of all super-clubs, and stumbled.
Lyon, winner of seven UEFA Women's Champions League titles since 2011, blasted perfection into a million glittering pieces, and won its eighth continental title, 3-1 over the reigning champs.