Matildas set to clash as Arsenal and Lyon advance to Champions League semifinal
Topic:UEFA European Championship
27m ago27 minutes agoWed 26 Mar 2025 at 11:39pm
Arsenal's Steph Catley (right) and Real Madrid's Signe Bruun fight for the ball
Arsenal's Steph Catley (right) was key to her side's advancement to the Champions League semifinal. (AP: PA/Adam Davy)
In short:
There will be at least one Australian, possibly more, in the UEFA Women's Champions League final after both Arsenal and Lyon progressed to the semifinals.
Two of Arsenal's trio of Matildas were involved as the Gunners overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Real Madrid with a dramatic 3-0 win.
What's next?
Sam Kerr's Chelsea and Mary Fowler's Manchester City are also still in the competition and play their quarterfinal second leg on Friday morning, AEDT, with City 2-0 up.
There will be at least one Australian in the UEFA Women's Champions League final, with both Arsenal and Lyon progressing to the semifinals.
Two of Arsenal's trio of Matildas were involved as the Gunners overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Real Madrid with a dramatic 3-0 win in front of 22,517 people in London.
That followed a 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich for a Lyon side featuring Ellie Carpenter, the only Aussie with a winner's medal so far in the sport's premier club competition.
It earned the French champions, managed by Australian Joe Montemurro, a 6-1 aggregate win.
Montemurro used to manage Arsenal, and he will have a reunion with Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord, who he signed for the London club, as Lyon and Arsenal now meet in the last four.
Sam Kerr's Chelsea and Mary Fowler's Manchester City are also still in the competition and play their quarterfinal second leg on Friday morning, AEDT, with City up 2-0.
Arsenal, who fielded Catley in central defence, Foord on the left wing, and their third Matilda, Kyra Cooney-Cross, on the bench, dominated their tie.
But while they created a stream of half-chances, there were few clear ones in the opening half.
The quarterfinal turned on either side of the break.
As the first half drew to a close, a double-save by Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, from Filippa Angeldahl and Linda Caicedo, stopped Arsenal from conceding what would have been a devastating third goal in the tie.
Reprieved, Arsenal took full advantage. Within 4 minutes of the restart, they were level on aggregate. Inside the first minute, Foord drove cross-field, surging past tacklers, before feeding Kelly whose superb cross was turned in by Russo.
As Madrid reeled, Kelly crossed again and Mariona Caldentey's header squirmed under the diving Real keeper Misa.
Then, just before the hour, Catley challenged for a Katie McCabe free-kick and the ball fell to Russo, who hooked in. Arsenal were ahead.
The England centre-forward subsequently had two more goals fractionally ruled out for offside, setting up a frantic finish in which Van Domselaar again denied Caicido, and Foord twice went close to settling Arsenal nerves, before they could finally celebrate.
There was less excitement in France even after eight-time winners Lyon went behind when Klara Buhl halved the 2-0 first-leg deficit after 33 minutes.
But less than 30 seconds after the interval, Melchie Dumornay restored the advantage.
Goals from Kadidiatou Diani and Tabitha Chawinga effectively made the tie safe by the hour mark.
Ada Hegerberg added a fourth in added time.
The remaining quarterfinal, also on Thursday night, local time, has holders Barcelona defending a 4-1 lead at home to Wolfsburg.
The winners will play Chelsea or City in the semifinals in a month's time, with Kerr hoping to have finally recovered from her ACL injury should Chelsea get there.
AAP
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Posted27m ago27 minutes agoWed 26 Mar 2025 at 11:39pm
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