GOTHENBURG: Barcelona became the first club to have been crowned both men’s and women’s European champions when they beat Chelsea 4-0 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in Gothenburg.

Barcelona raced into command by scoring all four goals in the first 36 minutes on their way to a first women’s title.

Chelsea trailed 33 seconds in when an attempted clearance hit Melanie Leupolz and went in for an own goal, and Alexia Putellas’ penalty made it 2-0. Aitiana Bonmati finished an intricate move and Caroline Graham Hansen tapped in to put a rampant Barca out of sight.

This was the biggest ever winning margin in a women’s final and ended Chelsea hopes of a quadruple after winning their domestic Women’s Super League and League Cup triumphs.

This was Chelsea’s first Champions League final – and the first time an English side had reached the showpiece since Arsenal lifted the trophy in 2007.

It was a second Champions League final for Barcelona and the lessons learned from their previous experience proved invaluable this time round.

Against seven-time winners Lyon in 2019 they found themselves 3-0 down inside 20 minutes before going on to lose 4-1.

Two years later and it was they who were handing out that punishment, showing that ruthless edge that Chelsea do not yet have on the highest European stage.

Barca knocked out Chelsea’s biggest domestic rivals Manchester City in the quarter-finals and while the WSL now seems to be attracting the highest revenues and biggest names in Europe, this shows the level of its top clubs is still that bit below the leading one or two teams on the continent.

The Spanish side’s triumph brings an end to Lyon’s run of five Champions League titles in a row.