Lyon midfielder Melchie Dumornay (R) scored in opposition to Arsenal within the Girls’s Champions League (JUSTIN TALLIS)
Melchie Dumornay’s late strike fired Lyon to a 2-1 win in opposition to Arsenal within the girls’s Champions League semi-final first leg on Saturday.
Arsenal trailed to Kadidiatou Diani’s opener for Lyon earlier than Mariona Caldentey hauled the hosts stage on the Emirates Stadium.
Commercial
However after Calendtey’s penalty, Dumornay was available to bag the priceless winner forward of the return leg in France subsequent week.
Arsenal regarded a shadow of the facet that mounted a fightback from two targets down in opposition to Actual Madrid within the final spherical as Lyon took the lead within the seventeenth minute.
There was a way of bodily vulnerability from the Gunners’ defence in opposition to Lyon’s entrance three and that was demonstrated when Diani held her line, burst away from her marker and drilled a medical end into the underside nook.
Frida Maanum lacking a free header from yards out summed up a irritating begin for the north Londoners as Lyon continued their onslaught.
Commercial
Lyon’s press prevented Arsenal from discovering rhythm with their gamers accustomed to the posh of sides sitting deep in opposition to them within the Girls’s Tremendous League.
After Selma Bacha and Dumornay pressured Emily Fox right into a unfastened cross on midway, the latter noticed Manuela Zinsberger off her line and despatched a lobbed effort onto the crossbar.
Arsenal’s Alessia Russo was additionally denied by the crossbar, setting the tone for a robust spell from the Gunners after the break.
Maanum as soon as once more didn’t information a free header on the right track from Beth Mead’s cross within the 61st minute.
Arsenal lastly drew stage within the 78th minute when a VAR evaluate deemed Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler’s try to punch the ball related with Leah Williamson and was worthy of a penalty.
Commercial
Caldentey stepped up and buried her spot-kick with ease to present Arsenal hope of a helpful victory.
However a deadly lapse of focus let Dumornay surge by a spot within the Arsenal defence within the 82nd minute and her composed end gave Zinsberger no probability.
smg/lp
