PARIS: When Wendie Renard scored in front of 14,000 fans in the women’s Champions League final 14 years ago, she helped Lyon win the trophy for the first time.
Seven more titles and much bigger crowds have followed since for Renard and Lyon, along with a truck-load of domestic trophies.
The 34-year-old Frenchwoman has scored more than 150 goals for the club in almost 500 appearances, a remarkable ratio for a central defender.
Lyon teammate Ada Hegerberg — the first Ballon d’Or winner — is in her 11th season at the club and has won the competition six times. She scored a hat trick in the 4-1 rout of Barcelona in the 2019 final.
They are among the most iconic names in women’s soccer and Lyon might need big performances from both to win a record-extending ninth European crown.
Lyon’s last victory came three years ago and since then Barcelona have taken over as the leading team in the sport. The Catalan giant are going for a third straight title and fourth overall.
Barcelona are led by the flair and drive of two-time Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí. They have shared the last four awards, making it four straight for the club, and both scored in last year’s final against Lyon in front of a record crowd of 51,000.
Lyon and Barcelona have met in the final in three of the past six seasons and could clash again — provided they get past Arsenal and Chelsea in the semifinals.
Lyon travel to Arsenal for a lunchtime first leg on Saturday and Barcelona host Chelsea on Sunday evening.
When Lyon won the Champions League for the first time, they beat Arsenal in the semifinals.
The second legs are held the following Sunday, with the final taking place on May 24 at Lisbon’s 50,000-capacity Estádio José Alvalade.
London calling?
North Londoner Arsenal won the tournament in 2007 when it was called the Super Cup, and are the only English team to do so. West Londoner Chelsea have reached the final once, in 2021, but were routed 4-0 as Barca won their first title.
The contest was so one-sided that Barcelona scored after 32 seconds and were 4-0 up at the break.
If Arsenal and Chelsea get through it would be only the third same-nation final in the competition.
Road to the semis
Chelsea overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to knock out Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to goals from Frenchwoman Sandy Baltimore, Swede Nathalie Björn and Colombian Mayra Ramírez.
In the first leg, City had ended Chelsea’s long unbeaten run under coach Sonia Bompastor.
The 44-year-old Frenchwoman won the competition twice as a player with Lyon and once as a coach — when Lyon beat Barcelona 3-1 in 2022 in front of 32,000 fans.
It was business as usual for Barcelona, which routed 2023 runner-up Wolfsburg 6-1 in the second leg for a 10-2 aggregate victory.
Winger Salma Paralluelo and forward Clàudia Pina each scored twice as Barcelona took their goal tally to 36 in eight games, while María León and Putellas showed their passing skills.
Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 6-1 on aggregate with Hegerberg among the scorers. In-form England striker Alessia Russo netted twice as Arsenal advanced with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid after losing 2-0 in Spain.
Lyon needs Renard and Hegerberg to shine against Arsenal in women’s CL semis, Barca faces Chelsea
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Lyon needs Renard and Hegerberg to shine against Arsenal in women’s CL semis, Barca faces Chelsea
- Lyon’s last victory came three years ago and since then Barcelona have taken over as the leading team in the sport
- Lyon travel to Arsenal for a lunchtime first leg on Saturday and Barcelona host Chelsea on Sunday evening
Karl and Gnabry spark Bayern to comeback win over Sporting
- Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points
- Karl became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games
MUNICH: Revitalized striker Serge Gnabry and teenage forward Lennart Karl helped inspire Bayern Munich to a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday.
With Bayern trailing to a Joshua Kimmich own-goal midway through the second half and staring down the barrel of a second-successive European loss, Gnabry and Karl scored in quick succession to wrestle the match in Bayern’s favor.
Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points and rose to second in the league phase standings, behind Arsenal on goal difference.
“The first 10 minutes of the second half weren’t very good, but we stayed calm,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told DAZN.
“We have done our job well so far and we want to see it through to the end.”
The top 24 sides make it through to the knockout rounds, with the top eight qualifying for the last 16 directly.
Karl became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games, beating the record previously held by Kylian Mbappe.
“To be in the Champions League at the age of 17 is something very, very special for me,” Karl told DAZN. “I’m proud of myself — and of the team.”
Despite the loss, the Portuguese champions sit ninth in the 36-team table with two games remaining.
- Seven changes for Bayern -
Kompany made seven changes to his starting XI, recalling Harry Kane, Gnabry, Karl, Manuel Neuer and Tah who were rested on Saturday against Stuttgart with Sporting’s visit in mind.
Bayern have scored more goals than any other club in Europe’s top-five leagues this season and went agonizingly close several times in the opening half.
Karl’s fifth-minute goal was ruled out for offside and Kane hit the post on the half-hour mark. Kane, Karl and Gnabry all forced Sporting goalkeeper Rui Silva into acrobatic stops before the break.
Sporting’s best chance in the opening half came when Geny Catamo put in a cross which Tah almost guided into his own net, forcing Neuer into a reflex save.
Some more Bayern friendly fire put Sporting in front early in the second period, with Neuer this time helpless as Kimmich deflected a Joao Simoes cross in with 54 minutes gone.
The goal jolted Bayern into gear and the German champions soon struck back to take the lead with two goals in four minutes.
Unmarked at the back post, Gnabry tapped in a Michael Olize corner to level things up. Karl latched onto a Konrad Laimer pass before blasting in on the turn from a tight angle.
With 13 minutes remaining, Kimmich and Tah made good on their defensive errors by combining for Bayern’s third, with a little help from Gnabry.
Kimmich looped in a dipping cross to Gnabry, who headed centrally for Tah to poke home.
With three minutes remaining, Kompany withdrew Gnabry and brought Alphonso Davies onto the pitch, the Canada captain playing his first match since tearing his ACL in March.
