The Portland Thorns are WICC Champions! Late Weaver goal lifts Thorns over Olympique Lyonnais
WOMEN'S
Tyler Snipes
2 Yrs Ago
The 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup belongs to the Portland Thorns. 
The NWSL powerhouse topped European trophy machine Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday night to etch their name in history as the tournament’s third different champion. 
Striker Morgan Weaver came on in substitution and delivered the late winner for the Thorns breaking a tie in a match that was surprisingly scoreless until her 87th-minute game-winner.
Portland and Lyon put on a defensive show that thwarted a combined 10 shots on target up until the lone goal. 
The Thorns went searching for a winner and tapped into their impressive depth, bringing on superstars Christine Sinclair, Crystal Dunn, and Lindsey Horan as second-half substitutes, but it was Weaver who delivered the winner to send the Thorns fans at Providence Park home happy at the latest trophy to be added to Portland’s collection.
Earning the cup also means the team has secured a double in 2021 after winning the National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup title in May. Now, a treble is in sight for Portland and outgoing head coach Mark Parsons. 
It was an evenly-matched game, and the fact that it went scoreless kicked things up a notch with each spell in the second half. Ultimately, Portland was rewarded for applying most of the pressure but Lyon had a handful of realistic opportunities that could have changed the story. 
Had Lyon found a goal, more would be made of a couple of no-calls in the penalty box where the Thorns arguably deserved penalty shots. Dunn and Sophia Smith took some hard contact that had the hometown fans questioning the referee. 
In the end, the hometown fans saw their team take down a side that many regard as the best in the world.
FC Barcelona 3, Houston Dash 2
FC Barcelona walked away from the Women’s ICC with third place and earned it in comeback fashion in a hard-fought battle with the Houston Dash in Saturday’s opening match in Portland.
Alexia Putellas’ game-winner was the highlight of the contest. She made the most of an opportunity in the 78th minute, rifling off a left-footed laser to secure the victory. 
She had to upstage one of her teammates, though.
The Catalan side drew first blood with a memorable strike from Ana-Maria Crnogorčević in the 35th minute. Crnogorčević sent in a blistering shot that caromed in off the crossbar to give her side an early lead. 
It was not an easy game for Barcelona. The Dash responded to Crnogorčević’s opener by forcing an own goal in the 48th minute. They worked a build up that forced Barcelona goalkeeper Gemma Oliveras off her line and Kate Naughton sent in a ball that was going in, but Barca defender Jana Fernández Velasco took the unlucky last touch. 
Houston looked primed to capitalize on the mistake and grabbed a second-half lead on a Shea Groom header. The goal was Groom’s third of the tournament. 
Barcelona enjoyed a 77% possession advantage and it proved to make the difference. Houston was clinical with its opportunities, but they were rare. 
The 2021 Women’s ICC tournament will be remembered as an action-packed event, with the host club emerging as the class of a stacked field.
The stage was set on Wednesday where both the Thorns and Olympique Lyonnais had to do some serious work to get on the final stage. Lyon advanced past Barcelona by way of an 85th-minute go-ahead goal from Melvine Malard.
The Thorns reached the final by rallying from an early 2-0 deficit before outlasting the Dash in a penalty shootout. The win would not have been possible without 15-year-old rising star Olivia Moultrie, who nailed a free kick goal and converted her penalty in the shootout.
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