The Women’s International Champions Cup 2022 Recap

The Women’s International Champions Cup returned for another year and didn’t disappoint. The teams battling for the title were C.F. Monterrey, fourth in La Liga MX Femenil; Olympique Lyon, the reigning UWCL champions; the Portland Thorns, winners of last year’s Women’s International Champions Cup; and Chelsea, the reigning FA WSL champs. Here are the key moments from how the tournament went down. 

Semifinal: Portland Thorns 1(2) – C.F. Monterrey 1(3)

In the first semifinal match, the Thorns played C.F. Monterrey. The Thorns were expected to take this one home due to their home-field advantage and status as reigning Women’s International Champions Cup winners. But, they didn’t start many of their high-profile players and were only up 1-0 at half. 

Rayadas equalized the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C84j3hkeMK

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 18, 2022

In the second half, Monterrey denied more of Portland’s chances and scored an equalizer to send the match into penalties, where they won 3-2. 

Semifinal: Olympique Lyonnais 2(4) – Chelsea 2(3)

This was a tremendous matchup between two European powerhouses. Lyon with five French national team players, and Lindsey Horan, versus Chelsea, with four Lionesses and Euro 2022 champs, plus Sam Kerr. 

Of course, none other than Sam Kerr opened up the scoring in the eighth minute with an absolutely ridiculous goal.

SAM KERR’S GOAL IN SPANISH IS ALL THE ENERGY WE CAME FOR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Gxo6JiaJ7Z

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 18, 2022

Chelsea went up 2-0 shortly into the second half, but Lyon wasn’t going to go down that easy, and an epic freekick from Lindsey Horan put them back in the game. 

⚽️ = 😍 pic.twitter.com/XNIEfl4vwv

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 18, 2022

Signe Bruun would score an equalizer late into the match and send the two teams to PKs. Ultimately, reigning UWCL champion Lyon took the W. 

Third Place: Portland Thorns 0 – Chelsea 1 

The Portland Thorns faced off against Chelsea in the third-place

Relive the back and forth action between @ThornsFC and @ChelseaFCW ⚽️#WICC2022 pic.twitter.com/FffcGT5ac7

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 21, 2022

match. In the first half, both teams had chances that couldn’t quite find the back of the net. With no changes headed into the second half, the tone of the game became aggressive. Chelsea finally put one away to take the lead 1-0.

Final: Olympique Lyon 4 – C.F. Monterrey 0

Monterrey was no doubt looking to surprise the world by taking down Lyon, the reigning UWCL champs. However, things just didn’t go right for them. They conceded a PK in the first half, which Lindsey Horan made quick work of. 

Lyon’s (@OLfeminin) quest for a 2nd WICC was completed with its win over @Rayadas ⚽️#WICC2022 pic.twitter.com/lHdaqmKdmY

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 21, 2022

Just a few minutes later, Horan scored a second goal, and it was a beauty. 

⚽️ = 🚀 pic.twitter.com/nDMJwtCpca

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 21, 2022

In the second half, Lyon managed to put away two more goals, furthering their lead to 4-0. One was due to a poor tackle and missed clearance by a Monterrey defender, and the other shot barely slipped near post of the keeper. 

Lyon was crowned Women’s International Champions Cup winners, proving their worldwide dominance. Overall, the Portland Thorns will certainly be disappointed with their performance after last year, but it was great to see a team like C.F. Monterrey show up big. 

The tournament was also a great moment for Lindsey Horan, as she returned home to Portland but for Lyon. Horan scored three goals throughout the tournament. 

What an incredible homecoming for Lindsey Horan 🌹🇫🇷

🚨 3 Goals
🚨 Named Tournament MVP
🚨 Won 2nd WICC title pic.twitter.com/uFiEMLT9oG

— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 21, 2022

Featured image via @olfeminin on Instagram

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