Lyon late surge routs Roma in Women’s Champions League. Chelsea, Real Madrid also into quarterfinals

Lyon’s French forward Kadidiatou Diani (R) heads the ball to score her team’s second goal during their UEFA Women’s Champions League Group A football match against AS Roma at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Decines-Charpieu, central-eastern France on Nov. 20, 2024. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 21 November 2024
Follow

Lyon late surge routs Roma in Women’s Champions League. Chelsea, Real Madrid also into quarterfinals

  • Germany great Alexandra Popp scored a hat trick and had two assists in Wolfsburg’s 5-0 win against overmatched Galatasaray
  • That set up a key game on Dec. 11 when Wolfsburg host Roma, both on six points, with second place behind Lyon at stake

LONDON: Two goals in two minutes by substitute Kadidiatou Diani roused Lyon to a late-surging 4-1 win over Roma on Wednesday and a place in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals.

Roma stung the record eight-time European champions by taking a 74th-minute lead that provoked a fierce fightback, started by veteran France forward Diani scoring from close range on corners in the 77th and 79th.

Chelsea and Real Madrid also won in Group B to join Lyon in the knockout stage with two rounds to spare.

Lucy Bronze’s spectacular volley after just 64 seconds set Chelsea on their way to a fourth straight win, 3-0 over last-place Celtic.

Teenager Linda Caicedo, the 2023 World Cup star for Colombia, was Madrid’s standout in a 3-2 win at Twente after trailing in the first half.

Germany great Alexandra Popp scored a hat trick and had two assists in Wolfsburg’s 5-0 win against overmatched Galatasaray.

That set up a key game on Dec. 11 when Wolfsburg host Roma, both on six points, with second place behind Lyon at stake.

Lyon late show

Heavily favored Lyon had not conceded a goal in three straight wins in the Champions League before being stunned by Roma’s 18-year-old Giulia Dragoni. The on-loan forward from Barcelona scored with a left-footed shot that was Roma’s only on-target effort all game.

Lyon awoke and from near identical spots from the right flank, Kadidiatou Diani pounced on loose balls to score from three yards each time. Another substitute, Eugenie Le Sommer, had an immediate impact by scoring in the 89th and captain Wendie Renard rose in stoppage time with a header from another corner.

Chelsea turn it up to 11

Chelsea’s winning run is now all 11 games under new coach Sonia Bompastor, who led Lyon to their last Champions League title in 2022.

The English league leader had too much quality for Celtic. After Bronze’s opener, Chelsea added a header in the 25th by Wieke Kaptein and a stoppage-time penalty by Eve Périsset.

Caicedo lift Madrid

Teenage star Linda Caicedo’s twisting dribbles tormented the Twente defense and helped seal Real Madrid’s place in the quarterfinals.

The Colombian scored in first-half stoppage time and set up Signe Bruun for a simple finish in the 71st minute to rally Madrid for a 3-2 win, one week after beating Twente 7-0 at home.

Madrid were tested in the first half and Twente led in the 29th when Jaimy Ravensbergen connected on a free kick curled into the goalmouth.

Caicedo turned the game just before halftime finishing off an attack she started with a direct run into the penalty area. Her first shot was saved, and when a followup effort was deflected to her feet, Caicedo calmly scored from close range.

When Caicedo ran at the Twente defense in the 71st, she created space to cross the ball low for Denmark forward Bruun to score.

Madrid’s win was assured in stoppage time when Alba Redondo ran clear to score, though Twente closed the gap with almost the last kick, a 20-yard (meter) shot by Sophie Te Brake.

Madrid has nine points, six clear of Twente, and advances as it also holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Popp is tops for Wolfsburg

While the 19-year-old Caicedo was starring in the Netherlands, the 33-year-old Popp was as good as ever in Germany.

Wolfsburg had won 5-0 in Istanbul last week, and Popp set the two-time European champion on course for a repeat result in the third minute. Her first goal was a low shot from near the penalty spot, and she added headers in the 15th and 88th.

Popp also created chances for Janina Minge to shoot in the 31st from the edge of the penalty area, and crossed for Lena Lattwein to score with a header in stoppage time.


Ortiz shoots 60 to lead Burmester by 2 at LIV Golf Hong Kong

Updated 4 sec ago
Follow

Ortiz shoots 60 to lead Burmester by 2 at LIV Golf Hong Kong

  • Torque GC lead the team competition after the first round

HONG KONG: Carlos Ortiz’s approach shot from 152 meters on his final hole Thursday at HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong was headed directly toward the flag. Despite the long odds of holing out, for a brief moment, shooting 59 was a possibility.

The ball finished inside 60 centimeters, leaving Ortiz with a tap-in birdie for a 10-under 60 and a two-shot lead over Dean Burmester after the opening round at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Not only was it Ortiz’s lowest round in his professional tournament career, it was the third time in LIV Golf history that a player has shot 60.

Just three rounds have been lower: Bryson DeChambeau’s historic 58, and the two 59s by Ortiz’s Torque GC teammates Joaquin Niemann and Sebastian Munoz.

“It was a great round … I think I hit it very close, like four or five times I just tapped it in. That doesn’t happen much, so it’s awesome when you don’t even have to get the putter out. Very pleased,” said Ortiz.

It was certainly the best round of a multitude of low scores at Fanling. Burmester’s 62 matches his score the previous round he played here, when the Southern Guards’ star finished second last season to the Fireballs GC’s captain Sergio Garcia.

Garcia, meanwhile, shot 63 while extending his streak of bogey-free holes at Hong Kong Golf Club to 63. He is tied for third with Smash GC captain Talor Gooch along with Scott Vincent, who shot the lowest round ever for a wild card player.

In all, 28 players shot 67 or better on a course that was soft due to rain leading up to the opening round. Included in that group was Anthony Kim, who shot 67 in his first start since winning LIV Golf Adelaide last month.

“As you can see by the scoring, it’s playing softer and a lot easier than it generally is,” Burmester said.

“But I know Saturday and Sunday the wind is going to come up, so I think that’ll toughen the course up. It’ll dry out and then we’ll get the true experience of Fanling.”

Ortiz was just two-under through his first nine holes and coming off a bogey at the par-four eighth. But he saved par at the ninth, then followed with three straight birdies on holes 10 to 12, including a chip-in at 11. He then eagled the par-five 13th after hitting his second shot to 155 centimeters.

“Obviously I played great coming in,” said Ortiz, seeking his second individual LIV Golf victory. Fueled by his 60, Torque also has the team lead at 21-under, two shots ahead of Smash GC.

Burmester called his round “pretty flawless” other than an error on the ninth when he chose the wrong club off the tee. Having come close last year, he can now chase his third LIV Golf title over the final 54 holes.

“I’m very proud of the way I kind of just hung together and kept pushing in birdies,” Burmester said.

“I saw a lot of guys making birdies, and I managed to do the same. Normally when that happens you feel like you’ve got to chase, and I never felt like I was doing that. I just felt like I was within myself, so it’s one of those good in-the-zone days for sure.”

Garcia always seems to be in the zone at Fanling. He has not suffered a bogey at Fanling since his ninth hole in the opening round last year, and on Thursday, he hit all 18 greens in regulation.

“I’ve always said it, that I’ve always enjoyed the courses that make you think, not the courses that you get on the tee and you know you have to hit driver as hard as you can and there’s nothing else to do,” said Garcia.

He is now seeking the 39th victory of his legendary career. “Obviously these are the kind of courses that I enjoy playing. These are the kind of courses that I feel most comfortable on.”