The Guardian's Women's Football Weekly - Charlton promoted and Barcelona reclaim European crown: Women’s Football Weekly

Episode Date: May 26, 2026

Faye Carruthers is joined by Sophie Downey, Emma Sanders and Ayisha Gulati to reflect on Bunny Shaw staying at Manchester City and Barcelona’s dominant Champions League final. Plus, Lucia Lobato joins to discuss Charlton’s dramatic promotion to the WSL

This is The Guardian. Hello, I'm Faker others and welcome to the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. So Charlton will be playing in the Barclays WSL next season after a penalty shootout playoff win over Lester. Barcelona have regained their Champions League crown with a dominant win against Leon. And Bunny Shaw befuddled us all, confirming at Manchester City's sunny trophy parade that she's staying in sky blue. All that to discuss. Plus, we'll take your questions. And that's today's Guardian Women's Football Weekly.

What's a panel we have today. Good morning, Sophie Downey. Good morning. Last minute recruits. So I'm fresh and ready to go. I am Susie Rack today. Susie Rack has hit that end of season lull where everybody gets sick. And she is feeling under the weather this morning and sends her apologies and we send her love. Her love? No, we send our love. One love. All the songs. Too early. Emma Sanders, how are you? I've not drunk rum, I promise. It's definitely too early. I'm okay. I just, I don't do well in the heat. So I feel like I'm melting inch by inch. I have that. Is it from the Wizard of Oz? I'm melting. I'm melting. That literally is playing and repeat in my head. Aisha Galati, listen, you saved me the other week with those amazing hay fever tablets. Thank you for that. But you are also feeling under the weather now and it's not hay fever.

I am. Yeah, I've got a bit of a cold, which feels like a crazy thing to say when it is so hot. But yeah, it's that end of season where you just sort of relax and it all hits you at once. Oh, no. I'm all good, ready to be here and excited to see you guys this morning. We're the walking wounded on the pod today. But don't you worry, we'll get through it. Bunny Shaw has none of that end of season cold. I feel poorly hitting her.

She is back and ready to go because the big news that we had confirmed yesterday, as in on Sunday, Bunny Shaw has signed a new long-term contract with Manchester City. It was a four-year deal, announced in style in front of thousands of fans at the City Trophy Parade last night as well. And the news, Emma, that everyone's been waiting for if you have a sky blue shirt. Were the Chelsea Links a ruse?

Was this ever really in doubt? Did they just try to, you know, pull the wool over all of our eyes? I mean, it was definitely a huge. huge news, I think, for the city fans, wasn't it? Certainly from my information, the Chelsea rumors were, you know, they were definitely true. I've been told it was within the last 24 hours that Shaw signed the new deal. So very much a case of Manchester City offering a new sort of deal contract on the table late on. It's obviously a saga that's been going on for so long. You know, back in December, I remember asking Andre Jaglutz about her contractual situation and he said he

was, you know, hopeful that she would sign throughout January. We reported that she was close to signing a new deal. They were in advance talks in March, reported by Tom at the Guardian. And then, you know, you sort of get to close to the summer. They've just been crowned WSL champions, and we're all under the impression that she's leaving. And obviously, Bunny, as far as we know, had kind of said, look, this is what I want. This is what I think I'm worth. This is the contract length I want. And from her side, certainly from our information, she didn't think she was getting, you know, the type of contracts or the type of deal that she wanted. So for Man City to manage to turn that around, I think, you know, well done to everyone involved in the board. Did it take too long?

Absolutely. You know, they should have got this sorted ages ago. But look, it's done now. She's staying. It's what she always wanted. It's what the club always wanted. I think the only people that are unhappy will be the Chelsea fans because they need a striker and there's the best one in the world in my opinion. So yeah, huge from Manchester City. This is a moment that I feel very proud of myself because I walked into a pub after the final game of the season and I think Aisha was there as well and said she's staying. And obviously you can never be sure because nothing was decided in that moment in a time. But I did a broadcast interview with her afterwards and with her and Alex Greenwood and I just had a feeling that it wasn't quite done yet or quite

as wrapped up with Chelsea yet. She still had a couple of cars or Cissy had a couple of cards left to play. She had like that kind of smile on her face that she wasn't quite ready to go. And I think she said in her Sky interview afterwards, Manchester is my home. And I think she said that in a couple of interviews since at the FWA's as well. So yeah, this is the one time I can properly say I was right. You bucked the trends. Not that we're wrong on this pod Our predictions are wrong And that would not count as a prediction

I don't think And also from Bunny Shaw's point of view They've got Champions League football next season Which she's desperate to play in They are WSL champions And Chelsea are going to have to go through qualifying in Champions League It's a no-brainer

And for Manchester City a no-brainer Additionally Why on earth would you want to let your top scorer, your golden girl go to a rival. Absolute madness. Not happening. So Manchester City keep Bunny Shore. And Charlton will be one of their opponents next season

because they have been promoted to the Barclays WSL in dramatic circumstances. Karen Hillside made history book in their spot in the top flight of English football with a shootout win over Leicester City. It was a goalless at 120 minutes. There was one disallowed goal. But the addicts eventually came through to one. on penalties, thanks to some goalkeeping heroics from Sophie White House. We are going to delve into the game in a second, but firstly, Sophie and I caught up with Charlton's Lucia Labato. Lucia,

thank you so much for being with us. Congratulations. I can imagine it's been a bit of a crazy few days for you. Oh my God, it's been madness. I'm still in shock. I still can't believe it. Sometimes I just zone out throughout the day and I start laughing to myself because I think, what have we done? How do you, I mean, I know sometimes it takes time and it might not be until next week or even the start of the season until you realise what you have done. But with the kind of time that you've had, how have you reflected on it? Oh, wow. I think I've just been reflecting and reliving the moments of the game and those special moments like all the way to penalties. We did make it really difficult for ourselves, but it was a drama.

the drama then at the end of the day. So it's just been amazing. When you think back to Saturday and kind of the emotions going into the game, how did you prepare for it as a squad after the disappointment of the final day of the season? Yeah, that's a great question. I think a lot of us felt like a weight was off our shoulders. At this point, we had nothing to lose. We had everything to lose and nothing to lose at the same time. But we came in as underdogs and I think that really sued us throughout the season. Whenever we played a bigger opponent, we've always done really, really well

when it came to the WSL Clubs. So I think a lot of us were excited and ready, after like a week of processing what happened at the Valley against Birmingham, we were all ready to go again. And we showed it then there on Saturday. I tell you what, I was watching it at home

and it was hot enough set on the sofa. I can't even imagine what it was. like on the pitch. You were missing a few players as well. Where did you and the team find that kind of mental resolve from to just keep going, especially when you knew you had another half

an hour to play and then potentially penalties if you didn't get a goal then? Yeah, I think that meant a resilience we've been building all season. And then because of the scorching hot that day, a lot of us were saying, girls, this is easier than the pit. And the pit was something we did in preseason.

and our preseason tour in Spain. And it was a day of conditioning. And we had training in the morning, and then we had conditioning kind of in the afternoon evening, and it was roasting hot. We were just running non-stop. And that was really difficult. And girls, like, girls, the pit was harder than this.

And to be honest, I didn't even feel the heat. I had sun cream on my face. And I replied at half time. I was ready to go. I didn't feel the heat. I was just sweating loads. But I didn't feel it. I guess in those moments you just have that kind of different mentality

to be able to focus on the different things and just go through and run through brick walls, I guess, to get to what you want to do. Yeah, I think it was with all that adrenaline. In terms of yourself, you had a disallow goal. I know when you nod it over, the brilliant say from Katie Keene, kind of what were your feelings in that moment?

Because when you have that opportunity and obviously the off-side flag goes up, and then it's just not quite going away. Yeah, first of all, I couldn't believe I scored and then I couldn't believe it was called offside. I was like, what is happening? And then when I look back at it, I probably was like marginally offside,

but it was those fine margins. We knew those fine margins were going to be the difference. And thankfully then, SOF pulled it out of the bag for us. But, yeah, an amazing feeling, but then for it to be all be taken away, maybe that gave us a little bit of a spur on like we can get the ball on the back of the net and we just we continued to to defend well and to try and keep the momentum on our side you said sophie pulled it out of the bag for you she had such an incredible game sophie whitehouse

she was she was amazing and especially in those conditions you need to be like somebody to to to pull a performance like that absolutely and she does that every day in training as well there's always some big save and a huge reaction from well myself because I can't hide my emotions when I'm playing so it'd be like oh my god it's hands on the head or just like how have you done that and yeah so it's just amazing amazing pair yeah I'll tell you someone else who's amazing whose career I've I've watched closely for a number of years and it's your manager Karen Hill she's built such a legacy with the club both as a player and as a manager and as a manager But what is it like to play under her? Oh, wow. Huge inspiration. Even the fact that she was an FA Cup winner with Charlton. Oh my God, that's inspirational on its own.

So now that she's our manager, he was huge, even little nuggets of information throughout the day. And because she was a centreback and I'm a centreback, sometimes that information is so invaluable. And I really appreciate that throughout the season. And in terms of the fans as well at the Valley, it was a record crowd, I think, and they really came out and showed out for you. It was really fun. I was down pitch-shyed during the game. And it was just like a cauldron of heat but also noise as well.

And especially at the end when I guess your family get to come on the pitch and everyone came on and celebrated. What was that like to be there in front of them? And how much had they supported you this season? It meant so, so much. And I'm just so happy we were able to be able to be. to get a win in front of them because the past couple of weeks

and maybe the past month it wasn't great at the Valley with the disappointment of Birmingham after there was a record crowd for that game I was just so happy with the new record crowd we were able to show them something at the valley give them something

and because they were immense for us throughout the whole season to get promoted it's as much as their promotion as it is ours So I was just delighted we could do that for them. Just finally, and we're going to talk about this on the pod very shortly as well. And it's difficult to ask you this, bearing in mind, it's only just happened.

But what do you feel the club needs to do over the summer to get yourselves ready for WSL football? Because it is a big jump. Investment, huge investment. Because you see as soon as a club goes up, they almost go down quicker again. And I think retention would be like a realistic goal for next season. And I think investment is needed, huge investment. So hopefully we can get that. Big challenge, well, we're excited.

Big challenge, but really exciting. You've got all the commercial opportunities leading into the season to look forward to, the training, everything. Like, honestly, you're going to have such a ball. I look forward to catching up with you perhaps before the season kicks off. next time round when you are a WSL player. Oh my God, it's great. It's magic.

Still not sinking in. Listen, go and rest that voice and enjoy the summer as well. I will. Thanks a million. Thank you so much. Brilliant. Lichia Labato there. You can always tell when a player's been celebrating.

Her voice definitely has been someone who's been on the character. I probably should have asked her that, actually, if she'd been on the karaoke machine. But I love speaking to players when they've just achieved something monumental in their careers. It's brilliant. Emma, you were at the Valley on Saturday. What did you make of the occasion? Did the game play out as you expected it to? Yeah, I really enjoyed it, you know.

I think I'm a big fan of the playoff tie. The game itself, I think, you know, there were periods where, look, the heat was horrendous. So I do think it wasn't the best of the two teams. the quality probably was a little bit low. End of the season. Everyone's exhausted. Everyone's nervous because no one wants to make that error that means that they lose that crucial game.

But look, you know, a club record crowd from Charlton. And I think it did play out the way I would have expected. You've got the side with the best defensive record in WSL2 coming up against a side who has scored 11 goals in the entire season in the WSL1. So I was never expecting a five-all thriller, put it that way. Yeah, I enjoyed it. I thought Charlton did themselves proud. Certainly in the first half, I think they controlled and dominated most of the first half. They probably created some of the better chances. Lester obviously had a couple of big ones as well. But Sophie Whitehouse, I mean, she was incredible in goal for Charlton. And that for me was a real highlight because, you know, when she came into the media room afterwards and she was glowing and just she couldn't get a word out. She was so excited. She had a bottle champagne with her and some glittery hot sunglasses.

And it was just such a vibe. And I thought, you know what? This is what it's all about. And to see Charlton have this incredible season, you worried that they might have, you know, just missed out having been taught for so long. So to finally get over the line, just an incredible story. And Karen Hill is obviously an incredible manager that's returning to the WSL as well. So I loved it.

I had a great day. Yeah, well, you don't support Lester. so I'm not surprised. We'll talk about them in a second, but let's pour more love on Sophie Whitehouse, Aisha, because she made a couple of key saves in the game, those four penalty saves in the shootout as well. What a performance on the day.

Yeah, incredible. I mean, definitely, as Emma said, they're the highlight of that game. They hadn't played a game in 21 days, which I think people were sort of a bit concerned about in terms of putting them on the back foot a little bit. Of course, they ended up playing that game at home. But yeah, Sophie Whitehouse was just as on it as she has been all season.

She was a big part about why Charlton had led that league for a long time. But of course, the end of their season didn't go to plan. But she had eight clean sheets in the season. She won the Golden Glove. And she was rightly celebrated at the WSL Awards that we were at the other week. And I was able to speak to her that day as well, actually. And like Emma said, she was such a great character, you know, super humble, didn't want to throw loads of, you know, celebration on her particular performance.

It was all about the team, even though she just had her saves just shown on the big screen. And yeah, I was asking how she was feeling ahead of that playoff, actually, because of the lack of game time, I guess, in that buildup. And she was just, yeah, you know, all season, Karen Hills has said it's a marathon, not a sprint. This is the last mile. We want to go there. We want to be history makers. Yeah, we want to finish on a high.

high, we deserve that. And they did just that. They made history and yeah, huge, huge praise for her for false penalty saves. It's an incredible thing for her to do. Hopefully that gives her so much confidence going in to the WSL. And yeah, maybe some tactical genius by Karen Hills playing for penalties knowing you've got the best keeper. Who knows? But yeah, she was great. Yeah, and looking forward to seeing a lot more of Sophie Whitehouse next season. Lester did edgy it in terms of the stats, Sof, but just couldn't put their chances away. Rick Passmore said when we got in and around the box, did we work the goalkeeper enough? Probably not.

I think it's just those moments, those differences, which feels like a bit of a microcosm of their season overall, really. Were you surprised by the amount of experience he left out of his starting 11? I was, yeah. I think to not start, for me, especially Ashley Neville. I think when she came on, she added so much to the game and an injection of grit and crossing ability down from fullback. And I was surprised that he left her and Emily and Van Egmond in particular on the bench to start with because I think you bring on your younger players maybe from the bench to have that impact.

Maybe I get Rachel Williams a bit more because she is that kind of impact player and she's shown that before at kind of Manchester United, what she can do is a sub off the bench. But I was a bit surprised by the starting 11. think they were just so long confidence and that was going to be the battle on the day. Both teams coming into this with not a lot of confidence. I think the three weeks that Charlton had actually worked in their favour, I thought it would be the other way around because I thought playing games would do more for Lester.

But I think they had time to go away, reflect. I think Karen Hill said in her postmatch quite expressively, like what they did, they sent the players away, they were allowed to go home, they were allowed to cry, they were allowed to do whatever. They wanted to get over the kind of frustration of not one, but. two opportunities going, falling by the wayside. And they came back determined not to let the third one disappear on them. And I think it was just that mental side of them.

I'm glad Emma really enjoyed herself. I maybe enjoyed myself a little less. But I was sat pitch side. In the searing heat, I could not escape it. So I was burnt to a crisp by the end of the day. And that's probably had a little bit of my reflection on the game. Very selfish reflection. you were doing was turning yourself a shade of Charlton Red. That's all you were doing.

Karen Hills was very aware post-match of the step-up to the WSL. She said, I'm excited, nervous, apprehensive because I've been there and done it before and it's tough. And you'll remember she was manager of, or co-manager actually, with Spurs for a long time, got them promoted up to the WSL, spent two seasons there. She was Spurs boss for about 10, 11 years, I think. Lucia mentioned investment in terms of Charlton, Emma. What have they got to focus on to compete in the WSL? Where does that investment go? I think the obvious thing is they need to be able to score goals.

You know, it was really interesting hearing both her and Sophie Whitehouse sort of talking a little bit about what they needed to do for the WSEL in their post-match press conference. And they were saying that they've got the foundations. And I agree with this in terms of that defensive solidity. you know, they've got a core there. They've got obviously a very strong goalkeeper, and then they've got fantastic organisation,

and they've already kind of got a culture within the squad, which means they'll all work for each other, and they're all kind of confident in their own abilities. But when you go up to the WSL, you have to be able to create chances, and I'd love to see them maybe get more of a counter-attacking threat and build on what they have there in terms of that defensive solidity, because if they can hold off teams for an hour,

and then maybe try and hit them on the break towards the end of games. I think that might get them a few points. And I think, you know, the other thing is maybe adding people who have got that experience and that, I suppose, that winning mentality as well because it's all winning good winning games in WSL2 or going and beaten in WSL2.

But as Rick Passmore said, in terms of Lester, you can very, very quickly get into a spiral in the WSL where you lose five, six, seven games on the bounce. And I do worry for, you know, for any newly promoted team, but certainly Charlton, who haven't got the budgets, who haven't got the ability to go out

and suddenly buy five or six players that are WSL standard, you know, I just hope that they don't get knocked and their momentum is sort of killed a little bit early on. So you need characters in there who can sort of, you know, make sure the squad still stay confident and stay on track. So winning mentality, characters in the dressing room, and some goal scorer

that can maybe play on the counter attack. Yeah, good advice. Sanders for manager of the season. What's next for Lester? They've been hanging on to their WSL status for a number of years now. How concerned are you for their future? We spoke about it last week

in terms of the relegation, the double relegation of the men's team. What do we fear for them? I am concerned. I have to say that. I think Ray Passmore in post-match kept going on about meetings and reflection and all of that. And yes, that has to happen anyway. You would think that would happen.

But I just, there is going to be a rebuild that has to happen and there has to be money. And the club have to step in and invest in it. The WSL2 is no joke. We know that these days. You're going to have to invest to survive in it. And the club really need to decide what they want to do and how they're going to approach that kind of rebuild. because they obviously lose a few players, I think. A few of the WSL standard players will probably go elsewhere,

especially with three being promoted. And, yeah, I think there is a general worry band around the whole club at the moment with the relegation of the men's team. The money isn't there at all. So what are they going to do? And it's going to be an interesting one to watch, I think, over the summer going forward, what decisions are made about all across the shop

in terms of how they progress and go forward. We've had an email in from, Graham Colbeck at Women's Football Weekly at The Guardian.com. Hi-Face, Susie, Sophie and everyone else. So glad to see that the pod's reputation for terrible predictions has reached the end of the season

with a final flourish. Yes, we all thought that Lester would win and retain their Barclays WSL place. Commiserations to Lester, he says, and congrats to Charlton and especially to Sophie Whitehouse in goal with amazing work. Another London club in the WSL.

Capital, share the love with the rest of the country. And can we keep the playoffs, please? See you all next season. Can we keep the playoffs, Aisha? This was the first ever playoff. Next year we'll see 13th in the WSL face second in the WSL 2. What did you make of the occasion as a whole? Did it live up to the billing? Yeah, so I was in Oslo for the Champions League final at the weekend, but it was sort of good timing in that. I was able to watch quite a bit of it from my hotel room on the, well, thanks to the WSL YouTube channel. So shout out to shout out to that. I was so excited. I thought I think a playoff is just the most exciting way to end the season.

You know, we've seen it in the EFL for so many seasons now, and it really is a highlight of those fans years. Yeah, I would say like maybe. that that caginess and tension didn't translate totally on telly. It wasn't the most enthralling fixture to watch 120 minutes of no goals in Oslo. But yeah, I mean, what an occasion. It's so much to play for for both of those teams. And I'm really glad that this playoff is staying actually because I think it just gives so many more teams something to aim for, something to fight for.

We've seen two years ago when Palace came up, that was a really tight title race. Last year, London City and Birmingham City is so tight. And again, this year, you know, those three teams fighting for, well, this year it was three places. But, you know, just giving those teams something to keep fighting for till the end of the season, I think that's only going to increase the quality of the WSL2,

knowing that there's two spots available. Also, the WSL teams, make sure they're not resting on their laurels. We've spoken about that in so many seasons that those bottom few teams, they kind of just get and they realize they've got enough points because this season, you know, Lester slipping away

and then it's kind of done and dusted. So yeah, I think it's really important to keep that competitiveness and give more, you know, carrots stangled for those teams to keep pushing and the occasion, like we mentioned, a record crowd at the Valley, almost 4,000. And so that's great too.

These fans clearly understood exactly what it meant and great that Cholten were able to get it over the line on this occasion. Is there an argument with so much at stake? And I understand the waiting in terms of the WSL two side are the underdog. And so getting home advantage helps. But is there an argument actually that a neutral venue for such a big game with the money at stake, etc., nowadays is preferable? You're nodding, Emma.

Yeah, I totally agree. I think any, you look, if you're playing for a trophy, you're playing in a neutral venue, this is arguably even bigger for a club like Lester, as we've discussed financially. The status of WSL compared to WSL2 is absolutely remarkably significant. It had to be in a neutral venue for me, especially, as we've already mentioned, by our very good listener, that there's so many London clubs now. and particularly for the northern teams, obviously Leicester in the Midlands,

that's a lot of travelling to do throughout the season. So I think to ask them to go down to the valley, I think that was quite harsh on Leicester. Might make it more of an occasion as well. And by the way, I can totally understand why they would do it. I understand all those reasons, but I think if we're going to make it a thing, then it needs to be at a neutral venue.

Anyway, another thing to add to the list. That's it for part one of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. In part two, we'll take a look at the Champions League final as Barcelona were crowned champions once again. Welcome back to part two of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. So Barcelona reclaimed their title as Queens of Europe with their fourth Champions League crown in Oslo on Saturday afternoon.

Per Romneyu's side put four past Leon to no reply, thanks to braces from Eva Paior and Salma Paroluelo. How did Barcelona dismantle Leon Sof? It was that juggernaut coming down. It had moments of that Chelsea demolition a few years ago. Yeah, I think it was a very, I don't know if the others would agree, but I don't think it was very Barcelona-like at points. They weren't, you know, but I think the experience that they have in Europe just told.

I know Leon very, very experienced in Europe, but Barcelona's, you know, control of Europe and football over the years, over the last few years, came through. And even when Leon were able to put pressure on, particularly in the first half, they just held their ground and were able to find a way. And they had a bit of, you know, maybe a bit of fortune in terms of the Leon goal that got disallowed because Leon were on the up at that point. But I think that second half especially, and when you have players of the quality that Barcelona have, they don't sit on their laurels for very long. And they were going

to take it to Leon at the end of the day and Eva Pai or Sean, Samma, Parra. Luello. Also, Sean, and yeah, they just got the job done and the end when. So I think it was really about experience as much as quality. The score says one thing, but I do think Leon were in the game for bits of it. It was just that, yeah, that quality

and that experience shone through for Blaselona. Yeah, the games came at the other end of the time. I compared it to the Chelsea game, but they conceded very, very early where Leon hang on for quite a while. Actually, it was interesting seeing Wendy Renard and Arda Hegerberg at the end, it felt to me just watching on as a neutral that they knew that was probably going to be their last Champions League final.

Very happy to be corrected if anybody thinks different, but they looked absolutely devastated. Barcelona have had to deal with a number of injuries. As Sof said, Ayesha, they weren't at their flowing best, but they just found a way. Again, a demonstration of their experience. I mean, six consecutive finals. We talked about Leon's dominance for such a long time. but this in the modern era of women's football, if you like, is super impressive with the amount of competition there is nowadays.

Yeah, for sure. I think obviously Leon are the eight-time winners, but in the recent times it has been Barcelona who have been leading the way on the wins, six finals. They've won four of those. Leon haven't won since 2022. I think I thought this year it would be a bit closer, and I think that first half was more kind of what I'm,

I was expecting. I didn't really know which way it was going to go in the half-time. I thought, oh, gosh, actually Leon could win this. They were unlucky with that goal, and it felt like after that they just lost it a little bit. The first goal only came in the 55th minute, and until that point, it really felt like it could have gone either way. But, yeah, the experience of Barcelona, as soon as they saw that weakness in Leon, Leon's passes, you know, those front three had been so good for Leon this season, and they were just

slightly off it on all of their passes in that second half, just in a way that Barcelona found their stride in the second half when they needed to. Yeah, I mean, Barcelona, seeing the two Evo Paior goals and the Salma goals, great goals, by the way, and really nice to see those two shining as well, because I think we sometimes talk about the experience of Barcelona, it's the two names that get brought up in, Bon Mati and Pateas, and it wasn't about them at the weekend. It was definitely about these other two players

and also the team, beautiful goals, but real team goals, some of them. And yeah, a flattering school line maybe, but in the end, the best team won. And Barcelona just showed what they can do in Europe and how they can kind of dismantle teams even when they aren't that 4-0 better than them. Yeah, well, Leon just didn't take their chances, Emma, did they? That was the problem.

Yeah, it was. know, I totally see what Ayesha was saying in terms of the difference between the two teams, but I actually think it was closer than the scoreline suggests as well. Like, it was definitely not a four-nil win in terms of, you know, the way that the game played out, in my opinion. Even when you look at the stats, it's also equal in terms of like the attacking stats and the possession. For me, there was two big differences. It was Leon didn't take their chances and Barcelona did. And Barcer had catacol and goal who was in great form.

on the day as well. You go back through some of the, some of the chances and the timing of them as well for Leon. And obviously, you had the Lindsay Heaps disallowed goal. You had Salma Batchez's free kick, even that one-to-one where, you know, Adahegaberg is running through and she's just offside. And you think nine times out of ten, she's not going to be off-side in that position. And she puts away that one-to-one. And that's all when the score is nil-nil. So the game could have gone so many different ways. And even when Basar obviously got their noses in front, there were still big chances for Leon. So I do think on the day, they just weren't at it in terms of that, that rooflessness that we've seen so often from Leon. And you can't afford to miss those chances

against Barcelona in a Chamois League final. No, you can't. A word on Eva Pai or Sof, because six time of asking and she's finally a European champion. And actually, she finished as the competition's top scorer, thanks to those two goals. Just how important has she become for this Barcelona side? What a player she is. First of all, she is the kind of player that they've been missing for a few years and while they've been very successful, kind of that player up front who will just get those goals and score kind of nonchulently. I think it was her second one that was a really clinical finish, the angle shot. I know that she, by her standards, you know, last season she got 47 goals and 44. This she got a poultry, 32 and 40, so that's still some return, right? And for her to finally get that crown, I think that's why she went to Barcelona. You know, she has so many opportunities at

Walsberg to get the Champions League. It didn't quite happen. Often got like put down by Barcelona. So I think, and then when she went to Barcelona last season, I thought she thought that was her opportunity and then Arsenal beat Barcelona. So she's finally got there. And also there's like this rumoured curse about being the Champions League. top scorer and that they'd never win the Champions League and she broke that in style. So very good day for her and I think she is absolute quality striker. The game marked Lindsay Heaps' penultimate appearance in a Leonshire, Aisha. Four years she spent in France and actually she was one of the first that decided to come

to Europe before many other of the USA players did. What impact has she had in France? Yeah, massive. I mean, she's been flying the flag for for US talent in France. I mean, in Europe, too, to be fair, Champions League winner, her talent and impact is not to be underestimated. Yeah, she's been a huge part of Leon over the last four years. And it was a shame about that goal being disallowed for that sort of reason, because I feel like she really deserved that moment. Yeah, she's set a bit of a trend as well and been a bit of a, I guess a bit of a trailblazer in that sense. you know, Lily Johannes has followed suit in going to Leon. She speaks about how they're best friends despite their age gap. And I'm sure that was a big part about why Lily Hanas wanted to join a team like Leon, knowing, you know, seeing someone who's paved that way. And on a personal level for her, she's also just spoken about how much, you know, confidence

it's given her growth in her game, the new life experience, just pushing her out of her comfort zone and it's a great way of making the sport as global as possible seeing names from the US national team going there but on that personal level you know she's not the only player to talk about this like Georgia Stanway spoken about something similar about that growth of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and doing something a little bit different a little bit not following what what maybe those before you have done so yeah she's she's been brilliant a brilliant part of Leon and she'll be missed. Yeah, a couple of other players will be missed, but over in Spain,

because we're expecting a summer of change on a batcher and Alexia Puteus rumoured to be on their way out of Barcelona, Emma. How do they make sure they stay at the top of European football? Yeah, some big names who could be leaving, obviously Mapi Leon as well, being highly linked with a move to London City Lionesses. I think Caroline Graham Hansen as well is out of contract. but what that means for her future, I don't know. So definitely a really, really interesting time at Barcelona.

They have to keep hold of some of those players. You know, obviously, Alexia Puteu Puteyos, I mean, she's the leader, she's the captain, she's the world's best player, arguably. So that's one they just, they need to sort. But the club have had financial difficulties. We know about this for a while now, mainly coming from the men's side, but the women's team have just proven they're the best team in Europe. So they need to build on that and not allow all of these star names to move on

without having a transitional plan in place. They've got a fantastic academy. They've got some incredible young players that are already in that team that they've bedded in. And I think Barcelona are one of the best clubs in the world in terms of making sure that there's a pathway from their homegrown talent to the first team. So I think that will give fans a lot of hope that they're always producing the absolute best young players in the world.

So there is that to fall back on. It isn't a complete disaster if you lose all of your star first team players. But yeah, they need to find a way of being able to keep hold of some of those because particularly clubs in England now and obviously over in the US are just offering much better packages for players in terms of their livelihoods, wages, bonuses, everything that goes with it. So it is a worrying time for Barcelona, I would say. but probably not time yet to get too down in the dumps about it

if you're a Basel fan. No. I'll tell you what I do want to talk about. So before we move on to the FA Cup final, is, am I pronouncing this right? If I say the Ulavales Stadion in Oslo, that's how it's pronounced, isn't it? There's some tentative nodding on the pod.

I'm sure somebody who listens in Norway may tell me that my pronunciation is absolutely appalling. but just over 25,000 turned out. It had a capacity of 28,000. And actually, this is the first time since the pandemic that attendance at the Women's Champions League Final has dipped below 30,000. How did you find the occasion itself?

It's always harder when there's no English team involved in it and so you're looking at it slightly more neutrally, if you like. But what was the occasion like? And how important is it for UEFA to have capacity? at the forefront of their planning next time? So I'm kind of torn on this because I think it's brilliant and Norway get to host a major final.

I think it's brilliant that it gets taken around Europe and that these kind of countries and cities get to have that moment of having these big finals and hosting them. But I do think we have to think about capacity as well. And I think the last time Leon Barcelona met in a final, it was obviously in Bill Bow, so that was close to Barcelona, but it was 50,000, over 50,000.

I was reading the UFIA regulations for bids the other day, and they have changed it now, so that it has to be between 30 and 60,000. So they are, and when you look at the bidders for the next two years, everyone is above 30,000. So I think they have taken that in their minds in terms of planning, because I do think we get to a stage where if we keep going for smaller stadiums, then we kind of hinder the potential of the women's game.

And in terms of like, when I think back to Switzerland last year, Switzerland were brilliant hosts at the Euros. The atmosphere was incredible, don't get me wrong. I loved every single second of it. But that final in Basel was too small. And it wasn't just from an attendance point of view. It's from a facility point of view. It's too small for media, you know, the amount of media that wanted to cover England against Spain. They probably for the players, I didn't have that experience of the players. But, you know, there's smaller stadiums you just don't get the same facilities as you do in the great big stadiums.

And for finals, I think players deserve those facilities. Media definitely need those facilities and the fans need to be there. Next year is going to be Warsaw. That's a big stadium. I'm very much looking forward to that one. But I think it's good that UEFA now keeping in mind capacity because as much as they want to take it on like a road show around Europe, I do think when you're thinking about major finals,

you have to be able to attract as many people as want to come as possible. So the Adobe Women's FAA Cup final takes place on Sunday, Manchester City. face Brighton. The fun never stops. The season never ends. It's why everyone on this pod is ill, not specifically because of the FA Cup final, but because the season keeps going is what I mean. It's going to be a special occasion for both sides at Wembley. Manchester City are going for the domestic double. And Brighton are going for their first ever major trophy in their first outing at Wembley Stadium. How do you see this one going, M? Yeah, I'm really excited by this, actually. I think both teams are fantastic football playing teams.

I think it could be a really, really good game. I do think Manchester City will get over the line. They're riding such a wave at the moment. And yes, Brighton's form has been brilliant in the last couple of weeks, but I still think Manchester City have enough quality in the squad to show why they've been the best team in England this year. But what a day for Brighton. I think they're a completely different side with Fran Kirby and without.

So to have someone like Fran in the final who knows what it takes to win and having been at Wembley and had some amazing. amazing memories there. I know, you know, me and so spoke to her last week and she's, she's really looking forward to sort of being back there. It's been a couple of years where she hasn't been involved in that final, having basically played all of them before that. So, yeah, I think Brighton will give it a real go. And I'm just excited to see just how much they can push Manchester City. What do you think so? Which way is it going to go? Yeah, I think her head always says Manchester City just because of how they've played in the league this year.

how they've come off the back, you know, how they've won and got those, that winning mentality now within the squad. But I think it's a one game, you know, anything can happen. Brighton did beat Manchester City a few weeks back. I know City could have been out of sight in that first half, but they did find a way to get themselves back into it and win the game. It's going to be an interesting one. I think Brighton need to work not to be overruled by the occasion.

It's a first for many of those players. I know Emma, you said about Fran, but there are a few players there who haven't walked into Wembley before and it's a whole different feel, you know, in terms of game and, you know, walking through the tunnel and nerves and all of that stuff and the crowd and the heat that surround you is just a completely different vibe to a normal day at Crawley, I would say for sure. So they've got to deal with all that, but I think Fran made me believe a little bit

when we talked to her last week. She was just so good and so passionate about the project of Broughton. She'll certainly not be one for lying down and letting says you just do the job. Do you know what? After Graham's email earlier on, I'm going to buck our predictions trend five years after we started

our terrible predictions trend. And I'm going to go for Brighton. So at least one of us will be right. We've got 50-50 chance. So come on Brighton. We've had an email through from Jim Herson. Hi, or realistically, could a better date have been chosen

for the FA Cup final? Two weeks after the end of the season and a few days before World Cup qualifiers feels suboptimal. It's even after Manchester City's open bus tour. I appreciate Wembley's availability is a major factor, but it feels very detached from the season. Hope you managed to stay cool, drink lots of water. Thank you very much, Jim. What do we think about? This is tricky.

Look, scheduling again, it's a nightmare because I really feel for everybody involved in having to sort the schedule out, because you're going to upset many people. it's never going to be perfect. It's impossible to make it perfect. But what do we think? Where else could it have gone? I'm not entirely sure. Yeah, I mean, it's difficult because like you say,

the scheduling and the calendar is packed. But for me, your wafer, in terms of the Chamis League semifinals, that has to be during the week for me. I think you lose weekends there where you could effectively move the season forward by a week or two and you could have that epic up final earlier. If I'm being completely honest, I'm not someone who sits down and looks through all the windows because I'm at the point now where I'm just like, the schedule is just, it is what it is and we've just got to deal with it.

But there's definitely windows in there. And that is always the one that jumps out for me. If the UEFA just made those Champions League semifinals weekday games, I think that would help. Yeah, I think it's also a problem because it's Wembley scheduling. well. And like you have so many, if you've looked at Wembley in the last couple of weeks, you've had so many finals, right? This whole weekend was just full of finals at Wembley. So they're having to work around that a little bit as well. It's an unusual one because it's normally a little bit earlier in May that we get this FA Cup final. And it does

feel like this season has just gone on forever. I think because of the, because of the Euro's last summer, it feels like it's been about a two-year season because we ran straight from the Euro is pretty much into preseason, into the season. So it's been a long one for everyone, and that's probably why it's feeling like it's dragging out a little bit more than normal. It's because it's later than normal, but also because it's been a long season.

I think it's earlier next year. I might be wrong. But yeah, I think it's just been a weird year, especially with the men's side and the World Cup coming up, and everything is, you know, he'll do, people do a bit. So we'll have to see what happens in the future. You know, I think it's probably good that teams have had a, you know, a couple of weeks to prepare. I quite like that. I think they can come in fresh for it.

That's quite nice. Can I just say, get your violins out. If you work in men's football as well as women's football, the season actually does not ever end. I feel like I am on a loop. I fly to Miami a week yesterday. Oh God, that's six days. I fly in six days. So the season is not ending for me anytime soon. I feel your fate. This is my first summer in eight years where I'm not working on a major tournament and like because obviously I used to work in men's football as well and I have to admit I'm gloating because I'm absolutely delighted so I feel for you. It's my first and five. Yeah. Well, listen, don't don't feel I want no sympathy whatsoever. I'm living the dream. I love my job so much but it's still okay to also feel very tired.

Right, anyway, Aisha, lovely to see you. Lovely to see you too. Thanks for having me. Feel better soon. Thank you. Emma, so lovely to see you. Take care. I can just imagine you while I'm in my, oh by the way, Miami next week, 31 degree heat, but absolutely hammering it down with rain. And I can just see you sitting in Manchester with your Pina Collada in hand when this season ends with your feet up watching the Men's World Cup. gloating as you say.

Absolutely, but you can swap the Pinacolada for a rum and Coke. Yes, I meant to say, well, Pinacolada has rum in it. That's why I gave it to you. But rum and coke, I think, well, I know is more your drink. So, lovely to see you, as always. Take care. Great to be back on. She's got a cape on.

Swooping in to save the day, as always, Sophie Downey. Keep having you say, send in your questions via X. email us at Women's Football Weekly at The Guardian.com. Until then, this is also your regular reminder to sign up for our bi-weekly women's football newsletter. All you need to do is search moving the goalposts sign up. The Guardian Women's Football Weekly is produced by Sophie Downey and Silas Gray. Music composition was by Laura Iodale. Our executive producer is Joel Grove.

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