The end of an era. Reigning European Champions since 2016, the Lyonnaises were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Paris-Saint-Germain, Sunday, April 18, after their defeat (2-1) at Parc OL.
After their happy victory (1-0) in the first leg on March 24, the Lyonnaises, who played their first game for three weeks due to the SARS-CoV-2 contamination of several players, did not exist during the return match. These are the players from the capital who will defend the French colors in the semi-finals, against Barcelona, from April 24 for the first leg.
” Lyon are a very good team, which have won a lot of trophies. Today it’s up to us to believe it Parisian Grace Geyoro told BeIN Sports at the microphone. The Lyonnaises had won the five previous editions, the last against Wolfsburg, which places them in the firmament of continental football – only Real Madrid of the 1950s, among men, rub shoulders there. In the last eleven editions, they have reached the final nine times, for seven titles in all. Their last elimination dates back to the 2014-2015 season, already against the Parisiennes.
Wendie Renard’s nightmare
Sad symbol, Wendie Renard, who has caused nightmares to Parisiennes several times in this competition, this time sent them to paradise on the hour mark. The only goal scorer in the first leg, just like in their semi-final clash. of the 2020 edition, the Lyon captain, under pressure from Marie-Antoinette Katoto, this time hijacked a center from Kadidiatou Diani in her own goals.
Like her, the Lyon taulières failed to reverse a compromised situation. At the start of the action of the second Parisian goal, playmaker Amel Majri first lost her head duel. At its conclusion, goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, surprised by the deviation, can probably also blame the lack of communication with her central defender.
” We had to deal with a great team. The Parisiennes came with a lot of intentions. It was tight, but it took a winner “, Admitted after the meeting the Lyon goalkeeper at the microphone of the broadcaster.
Suspense, tension, emotion, happiness, liberation, magic ? Long live football! ??… https://t.co/8ARUx2hnmH
Substitutes at the kick-off, OL’s playing mistress, Amandine Henry, and the club’s top scorer, Eugénie Le Sommer, failed to create any differences when they entered the game.
The Lyonnaises generally lacked breath and rhythm throughout the meeting. Affected by Covid-19, with fifteen cases detected over the last two weeks, the team could not resume collective training until Friday. They are also deprived for the rest of the season of two other key players, defender Griedge Mbock and Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg, Ballon d’Or in 2018.
But the Lyonnaises, who had chained thirty-one games without defeat in Europe, have the pride of the champions. Forward Eugenie Le Sommer did not hesitate before the match to affirm the newspaper The team that the performance of its partners in the first leg “ was underestimated “And conversely” we put the PSG a little too high “.
As proof, the Brazilian Catarina Macario opened the scoring in the third minute, after a magnificent pass from Amel Majri to Delphine Cascarino in the back of the defense. The Parisians then had to score two goals to qualify, which they had failed to do in the last four Champions League clashes against OL.
Another clash in the first division
A post in the wake of Sara Däbritz (6e) or a missed header by Kadidiatou Diani (10e) suggested that Sarah Bouhaddi’s cage would remain preserved from the domination of Paris. But the accumulation of clumsiness and loss of ball of the Lyonnaises were fatal to them: at the 23e minute, with a powerful strike, midfielder Grace Geyoro tied the two teams. The bad recovery was already the work of Wendie Renard.
As in the first leg, the Fenottes showed a better face after the locker room. However, control remained Parisian, including during the last half hour, when Lyon was virtually eliminated. The death knell has sounded in added time: on the only big occasion in Lyon, a volley within six meters of Melvine Malard, the Parisian goalkeeper, Christiane Endler, miraculously managed to deflect the ball.
Coach @JeanlucVasseur after #OLPSG: “We are very disappointed tonight. Our daughters gave it their all. We ran out of energy … https://t.co/XP5JnJzZLg
Enough to give a lot of ambitions at the European level for Paris, twice unhappy finalist of the Champions League, but also on the national scene: the partners of Marie-Antoinette Katoto have five points in advance (with one more match) on OL in the French championship. But the two teams are due to face each other at the end of May, before the last day of the championship.