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The quarter-finals were fatal to French clubs in the Champions League: Olympique Lyonnais (OL) fell to Chelsea while Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated at Wolfsburg on Thursday.
For the first time since 2014, there will be no French club in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Lyon, defending champion, fell on penalties to Chelsea (2-1 aet) and Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated at Wolfsburg (1-1), Thursday March 31 in the last two quarter-finals of the C1 feminine.
In the semi-finals (April 22 and 29), Chelsea will face FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg against Arsenal.
A 128e fatal minute at OL
In the rain at Stamford Bridge, the Lyonnaises, beaten 1–0 in the first leg, managed to catch up with a goal from the Canadian Vanessa Gilles, with a rebound at the near post from a cross from the American Lindsey Horan (77e).
They then thought they had snatched their qualification with a second goal in extra time from the German Sara Dabritz (110e), with a cross shot from the left, but the English equalized in the last seconds on a penalty converted by the Norwegian Maren Mjelde (120 + 8) and granted after viewing the VAR.
The shots on goal were fatal to the players of Sonia Bompastor, Wendie Renard and Lindsey Horan having seen their shot stopped by the German Ann-Katrin Berger.
Chelsea was a finalist in this women’s C1 in 2021, beaten by FC Barcelona (4-0).
PSG lost Diani
In Wolfsburg, the Parisiennes, deprived in the second half of their center-forward Kadidiatou Diani, hit in the right shoulder after forty minutes, were unable to catch up on the first leg (defeat at the Parc des Princes 1-0), but fell with honors against teammates Alexandra Popp (1–1).
The latter opened the scoring with a superb shot under the bar (20e), then Diani equalized with a header (30e) before getting hurt.
Finalists of the C1 in 2015 and 2017, the Parisiennes miss the last four of the C1 for the first time in four seasons (semi-finals in 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Wolfsburg has won this women’s C1 twice (2013, 2014) and was beaten three times in the final by Lyon (2016, 2018, 2020).
With AFP