Olympique Lyonnais 1-4 Arsenal
Arsenal win 5-3 on aggregate
By Ava-Marianne Elliott (27/04/25)
Above: Arsenal celebrate Mariona Caldentey’s goal, the former Barcelona player was phenomenal for the Gunners. Photo: Arsenal WFC
Arsenal ruthlessly overturned a first-leg deficit at the Groupama Stadium, putting four past Lyon to reach their first European final in 18 years. Impetus Football’s Ava-Marianne Elliott explores how Renee Slegers’ side sank the French giants to take one step closer to winning the UWCL trophy.
Heading into the fixture, it was known that achieving a win would be no easy feat for Arsenal. The Gunners hadn’t reached a Champions League final since they last won the title in 2007, and eight-time champion’s Lyon have had a dominant run across the competition across the years.
Arsenal are no strangers to turning around the scoreline, as proved against Madrid in the quarter-final stage, but it was going to take a strong, decisive side to sink Lyon.
Slegers’ made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 at the Emirates. Despite an ankle injury sustained during the international break, a quick recovery meant Daphne Van Domselaar made a return between the sticks, and Chloe Kelly replaced Beth Mead on the wing.
Joe Montemurro also decided to alter his side, with Wendie Renard returning to the starting lineup to make her 500th club appearance after being deemed fully fit. There was a reshuffle in midfield, and Melchie Dumornay dropped in for Danielle Van de Donk, allowing captain Ada Hegerberg to start.
The visitors did not have to wait long for the breakthrough they desperately needed, seeing them go level on aggregate just five minutes in. In a defensive struggle for the hosts, the ball hit Frida Maanum, before a rebound struck Christiane Endler and unluckily crept into her own net.
The leveller lit a fuse for Arsenal, and proved they were far from out of the competition.
Above: Caldentey celebrates her strike. Photo: @boodlepim on Instagram/ Twitter.
In first half stoppage time, Mariona Caldentey put Arsenal ahead in dramatic fashion. Alessia Russo set her teammate up for a spectacular strike that Caldentey sent soaring into the top right of Endler’s net.
Arsenal distinctly had the advantage, maintaining 64% of possession in the first half and leaving Lyon trailing at the break, but there were undoubtedly moments of uncertainty for the visitors. The Arsenal defence worked relentlessly to ensure they kept the advantage, with centre-back pairing of Leah Williamson and Australian international, Steph Catley, working near seamlessly.
Van Domselaar was also a hugely crucial figure. After only returning to training off the back of an injury not long prior to the team’s departure to France, she dealt with the pressure and performed well on the biggest stage.
Coming back out for the second half, it felt as if Arsenal still had unfinished business. Surely enough, Russo found herself next on the scoresheet. It just had to be the Gunners’ number 23, who capitalised on poor defending and slotted in a third goal with help from Maanum in under a minute after the restart.
Above: Australian international Caitlin Foord, who netted Arsenal’s fourth goal. Photo: Arsenal WFC
Over 20,000 fans watched on from the stands in disbelief as Caitlin Foord jumped on another defensive error. Endler passed the ball across the box to Vanessa Gilles, who slipped and handed possession to Foord for an easy fourth goal.
Whilst the fourth goal seemed to wrap up the action, Lyon mustered a consolation goal just after the 80 minute mark. Whilst she was excellent, Dumornay’s shot wasn’t enough to get her side back into the game, and Arsenal claimed a win that sealed their trip to Lisbon.
Arsenal now turn to the challenge of Barcelona, who they will face at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon on Saturday the 24th May. Whilst a win will be no easy feat for the Gunners, the North London side have shown their resilience, and now European victory is in reach for the first time in 18 years.
Lineups:
LYON: Endler (gk), Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha, Egurrola, Heaps, Diani, Dumornay, Chawinga, Hegerberg
SUBS: Benkarth (gk), Huerta, Junttila-Nelhage, Majri (58′), Dabritz, Le Sommer (69′), Marozsan (75′), Van de Donk (69′), Sombath (75’), Svava, Becho, Tarciane
Scorers: Dumornay (81’)
ARSENAL: Van Domselaar (gk), Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe, Little (captain), Caldentey, Kelly, Maanum, Foord, Russo
SUBS: Zinsberger (gk), Williams (gk), Wubben-Moy (87′), Mead (72′), Wälti, Kafaji, Pelova, Nighswonger, Blackstenius (72′), Ilestedt, Cooney-Cross (87′), Reid (90′)
Scorers: Endler (og, 5’), Caldentey (45+1’), Russo (46’), Foord (63’)
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