UEFA Youth League final: Barcelona claim third title with victory over Trabzonspor

Barcelona became the first club to win the UEFA Youth League three times after a convincing display to defeat maiden Turkish finalists Trabzonspor 4-1 in Nyon.

Ibrahim Diarra and Andrés Cuenca had Barcelona 2-0 up within 19 minutes, Diarra provided the assist for Hugo Alba for the third before getting the fourth himself, with Bican Tibukoğlu pulling one back near the end for Trabzonspor.

Match in brief: Barcelona cruise to third title

Trabzonspor, again backed by the vast majority of the sell-out crowd, made one change from the semi-final win against Salzburg, with Abdurrahman Bayram back from suspension. Barcelona coach Juliano Belletti named the same XI that beat AZ Alkmaar on Friday and his team again made a fast start.

Ibrahim Diarra, who only had his first competition start in the semi-final and had been an injury doubt today, struck on 11 minutes with a fine goal, turning on the edge of the box and producing a low finish. Trabzonspor now had the task of becoming only the second team out of the 11 finals to concede first and go on to win, but they soon found themselves two down as Brian Fariñas sent in a corner headed on goal by Landry Farré; keeper Erol Can Çolak parried but the determined Andres Cuenca stretched to poke in the rebound.

With their fans not letting up their support, Trabzonspor responded and Bican Tibukoğlu sent a good shot just off target. At the other end, Erol Can Çolak did well to deny Hugo Alba, and just before half-time produced a diving save after Xavi Espart let fly.

Ibrahim Diarra celebrates the first of his two goalsUEFA via Getty Images

Trabzonspor's quarter-final winning goalscorer against Inter, Ekrem Terzi, had been suspended for the semi-final but was one of two players introduced at half-time as they looked to turn the game, and early in the second period Taha Emre İnce connected with a corner but could not turn his header on goal.

Barcelona were still looking for goals and Diarra tested Erol Can Çolak, before turning provider as he beat his man just outside the box and played through Alba to get Barcelona's third with a fine finish after a well-timed run.

The dominance continued as a sweeping team move involving Fariñas and Arnau Pradas was finished off by Diarra. A tearful Bican Tibukoğlu did head in for Trabzonspor with two minutes left, their trailblazing campaign having fallen at the last.

Juan Díaz, Barcelona reporter

Two early goals from Barcelona in the first half set them on their way to a historic title. Belletti's side knew how to control the tempo of the game and rarely were put under pressure during the match. When they had a chance, they were able to inflict damage on the opposition defence, as shown by Hugo Alba's goal after a perfect combination play, or Diarra's second with a left-footed shot.

The Blaugrana got their unprecedented third title here in Nyon and did so without losing any of their last nine games in the competition, a testament to their ability and the consistency that Belletti is trying so hard to instill in his side. No one name can be singled out from this squad, as they all made the most of their chances to make history, becoming the most successful club in the history of this competition.

Andrés Cuenca celebrates after making it 2-0 for Barcelona in the Youth League finalUEFA via Getty Images

Görkem Kırgız, Trabzonspor reporter

That’s certainly not the ending Trabzonspor had dreamed of. They were defensively outdone, were unable to create chances throughout the match, struggled to find their rhythm, and could not cope with Barcelona’s pressure. Despite tonight’s result, there are still many positives they can take from this campaign. Regardless of the final outcome, it’s been an incredible run for them. They were second best today – a tough lesson, but one they can build on for the future.

Reaction 

Juliano Belletti, Barcelona coach: "I wanted to go down in history knowing that I have helped these players realise their dream of becoming professional footballers.

"We had to compete. We got here working a lot and they [the players] deserved the title. I've always tried to create an environment they can thrive in, with humility. Each player played their part in the team and that is why we made history."

Eyüp Saka, Trabzonspor coach: "We fought hard; we knew it was going to be tough. But we were late in pressing, which was not part of our plan. We had aimed to close down the passing lanes, but we couldn’t manage it.

"In the second half, we wanted to push harder with our pressing, but the goal we conceded there completely took us out of the game. We apologise to those who love and support us. But we are proud of our players – everyone should applaud them."

Eman Kospo, Barcelona defender: "It is a dream. We did it. We gave everything we had. I'm so happy for the team, we are a family. I'm so happy to win the Youth League.

"In the first 15 minutes we had some difficulties, it was not easy. When we scored the two goals we controlled the game, we had the ball more. The most important thing is the win at the end. We are the real champions now."

Salih Malkoçoğlu, Trabzonspor captain: "We reached the final and experienced playing in it and we’re proud of that. The result is disappointing – we didn’t want it to end this way.

"We played against a good opponent. Despite the result, it was a good journey for us. I would like to thank all my coaches, team-mates, supporters, our city, and our club – everyone who has always stood behind us."

As always in this competition, the two teams posed together for a joint photo ahead of the matchUEFA via Getty Images

Line-ups

Trabzonspor: Erol Can Çolak; Oğuzhan Yılmaz, Taha Emre İnce, Arda Öztürk, Bican Tibukoğlu; Alihan Erdoğan (Ekrem Terzi 46), Salih Malkoçoğlu (Furkan Özcan 79), Boran Başkan; Abdurrahman Bayram (Turan Tuncer 89), Onuralp Çakıroğlu (Esat Alkurt 73), Yiğit Kemal Turan (Ömer Duymaz 46)

Barcelona: Yaakobishvili; Espart (Walton 79), Kospo, Cuenca, Farré; Junyent (Virgili 59), Fariñas, Diarra (Rodríguez 79); Pradas (Fernández 79), Alba, Hernández (Marques 71)

Key stats

• Barcelona are the first three-time winners (they previously shared the record of two with Chelsea).
• No Turkish side had even got to the round of 16 before this season; Trabzonspor were the 13th different finalist from the 11th different association in the 11th edition of this competition.
• All 11 finals have had at least three goals, and Barcelona are the ninth winners to score at least three in the final.
• This was the first final since 2020 in which both teams have scored.