UWCL: Lyon edge Arsenal 2-1 in Women's Champions League semi-final first leg
Olympique Lyonnais secured a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of their UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final on Saturday, with Melchie Dumornay scoring the decisive goal in the 82nd minute to give the French giants an advantage heading into the return fixture.
The eight-time champions opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Kadidiatou Diani broke down the right and drilled a shot into the far corner. Though the assistant's flag initially went up for offside, VAR confirmed Diani was just onside by inches, allowing the goal to stand.
Arsenal responded with intensity and were eventually rewarded in the second half when Mariona Caldentey converted a penalty in the 78th minute. The spot kick was awarded after Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler collided with Leah Williamson while trying to clear a corner, with VAR again playing a pivotal role.
Despite Arsenal’s dominance in the second half and a string of chances—including efforts from Alessia Russo and Beth Mead—their inability to convert proved costly. Just four minutes after the equaliser, Dumornay capitalised on a counter-attack, using her pace to beat the defence and fire past Manuela Zinsberger, silencing the 40,000 fans at The Emirates Stadium.
Lyon coach Joe Montemurro made a triumphant return to North London, having previously led Arsenal to a Women's Super League title during his four-year spell at the club. His side held firm under sustained pressure to take a crucial lead back to France ahead of the second leg on April 27.
“We grew into the game, we knew it was going to be a hard challenge. Lyon are a hard team to beat and they have a lot of quality,” said Arsenal boss Renee Slegers in her post-match interview with DAZN. “We created chances and got numbers in the box, we just couldn't get the ball in the net. We are not going to change those things in a week. We have been really good with our clinical finishing before. I trust the team that we can score those goals from those opportunities.”
Arsenal came close to taking the lead before halftime, with Frida Maanum heading wide and Leah Williamson striking the crossbar. Dumornay also hit the woodwork with a spectacular long-range effort, spotting Zinsberger off her line and attempting an audacious chip from nearly 40 metres.
Reflecting on the performance, Caldentey added, “They are experienced players, they are so quick and so dangerous in counter-attacks. We dominated in a lot of moments but we need to be more clinical in front of goal.”
Arsenal now face an uphill battle in the return leg as they aim to stop Lyon from reaching their 12th UEFA Women’s Champions League final.
SportsLigue