Persistence pays off for Barcelona Champions League final hero Pajor / Photo: Odd ANDERSEN - AFP
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Persistence pays off for Barcelona Champions League final hero Pajor
Barcelona's Ewa Pajor said finally winning the Women's Champions League was her reward for never losing hope as previous final defeats kept piling up, after her two goals helped the Catalans beat Lyon 4-0 to reclaim the title on Saturday.
"It's the best day of my life," admitted the Polish striker, who had been on the losing side in five previous finals but claimed a winner's medal at last in Oslo.
"It's a special day for me because I have won the Champions League. Yes, this was my sixth final and losing five finals was difficult but I never give up and I always give my best for my team."
Pajor opened the scoring with a fine finish in the 55th minute at the Ullevaal Stadion and added another from close range on 69 minutes.
That brace allowed her to end the season as the top scorer in the competition with 11 goals, and a late brace from Salma Paralluelo gave an emphatic look to the final scoreline.
Pajor, the 29-year-old Polish international, was on the losing side four times in Champions League finals as a Wolfsburg player before joining Barcelona in 2024 and ending up a losing finalist with them last year against Arsenal.
"I always believed that one day with this great team we could do it and we did it today. It's an amazing day," said Pajor, who was in tears at the end with her family watching on in the Norwegian capital.
"Ewa Pajor is a fundamental player for us, someone who always thinks first and foremost about the team even when she is also scoring goals," said Barcelona coach Pere Romeu.
Barcelona's fourth Champions League title in six years completes a superb season in which they also swept the domestic honours in Spain, as they bounced back from the loss to Arsenal in Lisbon 12 months ago.
"The motivation has always been there for this team," said Romeu, who was without Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati for much of the campaign due to a broken leg.
"We have had injuries to very important players, which meant others had to step up. And that brought us together more as a team.
"So I think that made us stronger mentally. I think the fact we lost the final last season really helped us to improve and stay mentally strong.
"We really wanted to get our hands on this trophy again."
H.Thompson--AT
