Lyon secured a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final on Saturday, with Melchie Dumornay’s late strike giving the record eight-time champions a crucial advantage heading into the return leg.
Kadidiatou Diani opened the scoring for Lyon after 17 minutes, capitalizing on a perfectly timed run before firing across Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger into the far bottom corner. Though the assistant initially flagged for offside, VAR confirmed Diani had timed her run to perfection, sparking frustration among the home supporters.
Arsenal drew level through a Mariona Caldentey penalty late in the second half. After Lyon keeper Christiane Endler failed to clear a corner and collided with Leah Williamson, VAR intervened, awarding the hosts a spot kick which Caldentey confidently converted.
Former Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro, now at the helm of Lyon, marked his return to North London with a win, though his side endured heavy pressure throughout the second half. Arsenal created numerous opportunities — Frida Maanum missed a glaring chance with a header, while Leah Williamson also struck the crossbar just before halftime. Meanwhile, Dumornay nearly extended Lyon’s lead with an audacious chip from nearly 40 metres, only for the ball to crash off the bar.
Arsenal continued to push after the break, with Alessia Russo and Beth Mead coming close to scoring. However, despite their dominance, it was Lyon who found the late breakthrough. Dumornay, showcasing her blistering pace, raced beyond the Arsenal defence in the 82nd minute before clinically slotting home to restore Lyon’s lead and silence the 40,000-strong crowd at the Emirates Stadium.
The result leaves Renee Slegers’ Arsenal with a daunting task in the second leg on April 27 if they are to deny Lyon a place in their 12th Champions League final.
