Lyon focused on fourth
Women’s Champions League title in a row
As Barcelona contest their
first final Lieke Martens says nothing of a possible move to her French opponents
Suzanne Wrack in Budapest Fri 17 May 2019 19.00 BST
The Netherlands midfielder Lieke Martens said
she is “happy” in Barcelona as speculation about the possibility of swapping
the Catalan club for her Champions League final opponents, Lyon, mounts.
“I saw it also today in the news,” Martens said
on Friday, speaking before Barcelona’s first Champions League final. “I don’t
know. I have one more year in Barcelona, I am really happy here, I’m just
focused on the game tomorrow and that’s it.”
The Barcelona head coach, Lluís Cortés, was
similarly vague on the future of his star – who according to L’Équipe has a £3m
buyout clause.
“Tomorrow Lieke is going to be with us,” he said. “I don’t know what will
happen next but tomorrow Lieke will be with us and that is good for us.”
Cortés was clear that, win or lose, reaching
the final shows Barcelona are treading
the right path. “Of course the fact that we are playing the final is an
achievement in itself but it’s not the final stage and, if we win tomorrow,
that won’t be either,” he said.
“The club has been investing in women’s football, we want to put more investment into
the female team and for us to reach the Champions League final is an
achievement. It shows we’re working well. It’s a step forward. We’re at a high
level in terms of European football but we
have to keep working.”
The midfielder Vicky Losada believes Lyon are
far from unbeatable. “Over the years they were one of the first teams to invest
in women’s football,” she said.
“They have lots of qualities but they are not
invincible. They
went through hardship playing against
Chelsea and last year when we played against them it was not a clear win for
them; it was just one goal in each match. That’s what we have to keep in mind. They are a good team but anything can
happen and we can win the match.
“We know how Lyon play, we know how their team
work and we believe in our capacities. We’ve worked really hard and we’ve
gained respect in Europe.”
Martens added: “The key is going to be which
team has more possession and the transition so I’m really excited to see what
happens. It’s going to be really interesting.”
For Lyon’s Dzsenifer Marozsán it will be an
emotional experience to play a final in Budapest, having been born in the
Hungarian capital.
“There is a lot of emotion in me. It’s a big
big game for me,” said the Germany captain. “I’m proud to be born in Budapest.
It’s perfect for me that the final is here. I can play the first time at home
in front of my family. It’s my dream, it was my dream, but now it’s true. I’m
really excited.”
(...)
Courtesy of Guardian
News & Media Ltd
VOCABULARY
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Contest
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Afronta
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Mount
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Aumenta
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Buyout clause
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Cláusula de compra
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They went through hardship
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Pasaron por dificultades
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Echo
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Hacerse eco
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Will
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Voluntad. Deseo, testamento,…
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Conceded
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Perdido
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