27th April 2026
April 27 – Arsenal have taken a step towards the Women’s Champions League final with a 2-1 defeat of Olympique Lyon in the first leg.
The London club took advantage of defensive mistakes from Lyon to claim victory after the French had taken the lead following a solo goal from Jule Brand in the 18th minute.
In the second half, Mariona Caldentey equalised from a free-kick when Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler fumbled the ball into the back of her own net. Canadian Olivia Smith grabbed the winner seven minutes from time when she passed into an empty net after a defensive mix-up.
“If you look at Lyon and the qualities they possess, some would say it’s really important to do that and the team did that well,” said Arsenal head coach Rene Slegers. “I think with the different tools that we have and the different pitches we can create as a team, it’s in a really good place and the players are so intelligent, solving things, both on the pitch and at half-time, so that was a massive factor in getting more pressure on the ball.”
The return leg will be played next weekend in Lyons.
In the other semi-final, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich drew 1-1, but goal scorer Franziska Kett was dismissed for pulling the hair of Salma Paralluelo.
The final will be played on May 23 at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadium.
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