Persistence pays off for Barcelona Champions League final hero Pajor / Photo: Odd ANDERSEN - AFP
-
Nigeria's Tinubu defends record as economy bites ahead of election
-
Bouthier kicks Vannes to first Top 14 win of season
-
'Guiding star' Fuellkrug bags Bremen brace, Leipzig win
-
Thousands rally for Lula and Bolsonaro on eve of tight Brazil vote
-
Man City's perfect start ended by Aston Villa, Arsenal go joint-top
-
Red-hot Fuellkrug bags Bremen brace, Leipzig win
-
Arsenal sink Everton to join Man City at Premier League summit
-
Thousands gather at new Albanian anti-government rally
-
France protests: Latest developments
-
French police fire tear gas during fresh protests
-
French ice dancers Cizeron and Fournier make golden start to season
-
Suspect detained after fire wrecks Hitler's mountain retreat
-
Thousands protest crackdown on media in Turkey
-
Alexander Skarsgard and his viral 'Wicker' transformation
-
Brazil's Andrade returns to take vault gold at worlds
-
Thousands protest in Turkey over journalists' arrests, media shutdowns
-
Lula, Bolsonaro hold final rallies ahead of Brazil election
-
Man City beaten by Aston Villa to end perfect Premier League start
-
Ukraine has 'stable connection' to Starlink: govt
-
Luis Enrique says PSG unbothered by Lyon match switch
-
French protests kick off amid heavy security blanket
-
US gymnast Richard wins floor exercise gold at worlds
-
250,000 rally in Madrid demanding state pension guarantees
-
Moltzan upstages Shiffrin to win season-opening World Cup giant slalom
-
UK police says 'claims' over Meghan Markle's dad not sent to other law enforcement
-
Infantino says backed by 'vast majority' in bid for re-election
-
Top-ranked Rybakina to face Fernandez for Ningbo title
-
Police fire tear gas as new French protests kick off
-
Late India charge seals thrilling second T20 win over New Zealand
-
Police fire tear gas as new French demonstrations kick off
-
Seen and heard at France protests
-
Tropical Storm Champi nears China after battering Taiwan, Japan
-
White says Fiji can have 'massive' World Cup after beating Japan
-
'Weeks, not days' in Kompany recovery, say Bayern
-
England thrash France 82-0 to keep Rugby League World Cup hopes alive
-
Unfair to compare us to Barca: Real Madrid's Mourinho
-
Security high as France braces for new protests
-
North Korea's Kim makes unannounced visit to Chinese border city
-
White makes winning start as Fiji edge Eddie Jones's Japan
-
Fire breaks out at Hitler's mountain retreat, suspect arrested
-
Lula, Bolsonaro strike calmer tone in final Brazil election debate
-
Marc Marquez wins Australian sprint as Martin crashes out
-
'How is it possible?': Students protest Indonesian haze
-
North Korea's Kim calls for training world's 'strongest' military
-
Israel launches major West Bank operation after soldiers killed
-
Brewers edge Rays to capture World Series opener
-
Typhoon Champi knocks out power to thousands in Taiwan
-
France to deploy 70,000 police for fresh weekend protests
-
As Israeli election nears, campaign turns ugly
-
Tatum delivers as Celtics down winless Knicks
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."
Th.Berger--AMWN
