Haitians rally for Dumornay after Barcelona rout

Haitians rally – After OL Lyonnes fell 4-0 to FC Barcelona in the Women’s UEFA Champions League final on May 23 in Oslo, Haitian fans said Melchie Dumornay’s Ballon d’Or hopes aren’t over—arguing her season deserves a Top 3 finish despite the loss.

In Oslo on May 23, Melchie Daëlle “Corventina” Dumornay’s night ended under the lights with OL Lyonnes trailing 4-0 to FC Barcelona in the Women’s UEFA Champions League final. The margin felt final. The silence afterward didn’t.

Haitian supporters, watching the match unfold at Ullevaal Stadium in Norway, pushed back against the idea that one brutal final should erase what they described as an extraordinary year for the 22-year-old native of Mirebalais.

“Je la rencontrerai au moins dans le Top 3. ” said Michelet Jérôme. an electrical engineer in Port-au-Prince. speaking after the match. “I think a Barcelona player will win the Ballon d’Or [again] because they won the Champions League. which is a major title. But I’ll still be satisfied if Melchie finishes second or third.”.

Across Haiti and the diaspora, the response was immediate on social media: the loss was painful, but the race—at least in their view—was not.

A fan commenting under Mc.Gareth286 on X wrote. “To me. Melchie is not out of the Ballon d’Or race.” The post added that Dumornay “has been one of the most talked-about players in women’s soccer this season. ” arguing it would be “hard for them to forget her already just because there are no other big competitions left.”.

Wendy Falaise, a soccer fan, put it in a sharper emotional frame on Facebook: “When you’re playing a big game like this, even if you’re losing, lose like a player who’s on a mission.” She said she was rooting for Dumornay and was “very sad,” but insisted “it’s not the end of the world.”

The final itself delivered the sort of swing that can derail narratives. Barcelona dominated the match with Ewa Pajor and Salma Paralluelo each scoring two goals in the second half. OL Lyonnes believed it opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Lindsey Heaps found the net. but a VAR review ruled the goal out for offside—an early momentum jolt that didn’t hold.

For fans, though, the bigger debate is what the match changes—and what it doesn’t. Before the final, sports outlet Goal ranked Dumornay as the second-leading Ballon d’Or contender behind Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas, with Pajor third.

Pajor’s two goals are expected to strengthen her case and potentially move her ahead of Dumornay in the rankings. particularly after Pajor won the Champions League Top Scorer award. Putellas. even without scoring in the final. was described as remaining a strong favorite after helping Barcelona capture another European title. along with her nomination as the Champions League Player of the Season.

Still, Dumornay’s supporters pointed to the season behind the scoreboard. Haitians noted that she finished 18th in the Ballon d’Or rankings last year after OL Lyonnes won only the domestic league and Haiti played limited international matches. They argued she deserved a higher finish then—after winning multiple individual honors. including Concacaf Women’s Player of the Year and UEFA Women’s Champions League Young Player of the Season.

This season, fans say, the résumé is stronger. Dumornay helped OL Lyonnes win the Coupe de France Féminine and the Coupe LFFP. while reaching finals of both the Women’s Champions League and France’s Arkema Première Ligue (formerly D1 Arkema). The French top-tier women’s soccer league final—scheduled for May 29 against Paris Football Club—is now part of the story because it comes right after the Champions League disappointment.

Individually, she collected major honors that supporters believe can’t be brushed aside: Best Player in France’s Arkema Première Ligue, the National Union of Professional Football’s top player award, and The Athletic’s European Women’s Player of the Season recognition.

Nathalie Antoine, a Footkole sports reporter based in Florida also known as Nhalie, summarized the mood with disappointment still tethered to resolve: “The dream ended in the final.” She said she was disappointed because the title was meant to crown Dumornay’s “incredible season.”

Longtime sports analyst and former soccer coach, ex-Haitian Senator Patrice Dumont, also defended Dumornay after the loss. On Facebook. Dumont wrote. “I have never seen Melchie so limited in a game.” He added that Barcelona “cut all the connections between Melchie and her teammates” and described it as “a day of great sadness for the greatest Haitian footballer of all generations.”.

Dumont argued that the defeat should not erase her candidacy, saying, “This loss doesn’t mean the end of our Ballon d’Or dreams.”

Even as some fans criticized OL Lyonnes, the common thread was that the conversation should be bigger than one night. Jérôme said he felt OL Lyonnes lacked the attacking sharpness Barcelona showed. adding. “Their attackers are not as clinical as Barcelona’s forwards.” He said the club “needs to strengthen the roster.”.

Supporters also pointed to the scale of the challenge. Barcelona has now reached six consecutive Women’s Champions League finals and won four of them—an edge that, to Haitian fans, helps explain why a single match might not tell the whole story of who should be honored.

Now. the season closes with one more chance for Dumornay and OL Lyonnes to leave a last imprint on the awards conversation. Dumornay and OL Lyonnes still have one more opportunity to close the season with a title when they face Paris FC in the Première Ligue final this coming Friday. a match that some fans believe could still influence the Ballon d’Or race.

Melchie Dumornay Ballon d’Or Haiti soccer OL Lyonnes FC Barcelona Women’s UEFA Champions League final Ullevaal Stadium Ewa Pajor Salma Paralluelo Alexia Putellas Patrice Dumont