Arsenal 1 – 2 Olympique Lyonnais
By Rachel Gore (19/04/2025)
Above: Arsenal rue a missed chance. Photo: Tom Jenkins / The Guardian
Lyon rattled Arsenal at the Emirates in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, emerging 2-1 winners.
On Saturday, Arsenal took on Lyon in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final. The game culminated in a 2-1 loss for the home side who were hoping to use their home advantage to secure a win before they headed abroad for the second leg.
Returning to Arsenal’s squad was Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly. Russo made her way back to the starting eleven and Manuela Zinsberger remained in goal with Daphne Van Domselaar out with injury.
Lyon’s line up was extremely strong with Chile’s Christiane Endler in goal. Their squad’s manager, Joe Montemurro, is a previous Arsenal boss and returned to the Emirates with the aim of defeating his former side.
Moments into the game, Frida Maanum sent an early shot straight at Endler. Despite this attacking start from Arsenal, at 6 minutes a shot from Lyon’s Selma Bacha was saved by Zinsberger. Lyon’s Danielle van de Donk followed up with a shot which was just wide of this goal. Early in the game tension was building following this scare for the home team.
Following on from these attempts on goal from Lyon, Arsenal maintained possession until Kadi Diani struck the ball into the far corner of Arsenal’s goal. This goal was flagged by the assistant and went to a VAR goal check as it was suspected to be offside. Unfortunately for Arsenal, the VAR check went in Lyon’s favour and the score shifted to 0-1 at 18 minutes.
For the remainder of the first half fans were kept entertained; Maanum hit the ball just wide of the goal, a shot from Melchie Dumornay and header form Alessia Russo hit their respective crossbars and strong play from both teams reminded spectators that they were watching two of Europe’s best clubs.
After the break Arsenal were on the attack. Renee Slegers’ side held possession but struggled to move the ball into the box. Lyon’s play was almost the opposite; the visitors did not dominate possession but once the ball was at their feet their attacking runs were dangerous and swift.
Each attempt on goal from Arsenal elicited groans from the crowd who desperately wanted to see their team get the ball into the back of the net.
At 75 minutes, Arsenal was given a chance to put themselves back into the game. A VAR check occurred as it was believed that Endler had caught Leah Williamson in the box. This penalty was taken willingly by Arsenal who had not appealed for the decision. It was Mariona Caldentey who calmly slipped the ball into the net causing a roar from the crowd who had been waiting for a moment like this.
Now momentum was shifting, Arsenal seemed to be on the rise. A shot from Kelly went over the top of the goal and it seemed like things could go in the right direction for the Gunners. However, soon after, at 82 minutes, Melchie Dumornay scored for Lyon. Arsenal had only held equal for four minutes.
The match ended with a defeated Arsenal who, according to their manager, will “do everything to get the win on Sunday” as it is only half time. To win away next weekend, Arsenal will have to begin strong. They need to move the ball into the box and ultimately into the goal. It’s the London side’s finishing which has been called into question numerous times this season as in many games the team have dominated possession and play but failed to gain points due to a lack of goals.
Post match, Slegers said that her squad felt “so much support from” the 40,045 fans in the stands of the Emirates. Whilst the manager described them as “noisy” there was an air of disappointment and deflation from the supporters who were much quieter than they usually are.
These fans will be hoping that their team can turn things around next weekend to secure their spot in the Champions League final. Lyon, on the other hand, will be proud of their performance and will be taking their win into the second leg where they will not only have a goal advantage, but also the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd.
The French side proved that they are one of the top teams in the world as they capitalised on small moments and made Arsenal uncomfortable in their own stadium. Endler impressed as she delivered stunning saves and kept her team in the game. Lyon’s defenders also provided an added layer of protection as they stopped the ball from reaching Endler on numerous occasions. The stars, however, were the forwards who made excellent runs down the wing and sped past Arsenal defenders who tried to stop them.
The second leg of this Champions League semi-final will occur at Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday 27th April. If the first leg told us anything, it’s that this match will be another entertaining and competitive game of football.
TEAMS: ARSENAL: Zinsberger, Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe, Little, Maanum, Caldentey, Mead, Russo, Foord Substitutes: Williams, Walti (for Foord 84′), Kafaji, Kelly (for Mead 62′), Pelova (for Russo 83′), Nighswonger, Blackstenius (for Maanum 62′), Illestedt, Cooney-Cross, Reid.
Scorers: Mariona Caldentey (78’ pen)
LYON: Endler, Carpenter, Gilles, Sombath, Bacha, Heaps, Egurrola, Van de Donk, Diani, Dumornay, Chawinga Substitutes: Benkarth, Huerta, Renard, Junttila Nelhage, Majri (for Van de Donk 67′), Dabritz, Le Sommer, Marozsan, Hegerberg (for Chawinga 79′), Svava (for Bacha 90+3′), Becho (for Diani 90+3′), Tarciane.
Scorers: Diani (17’), Dumornay (82’)
Attendance: 40,045
Referee: Ionela Pesu
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