The Lyonnes OL fell to Wolfsburg (1-0) in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals. The return match will be played on April 2 in Lyon.
Defeated on Tuesday on Wolfsburg’s pitch (1-0) in the Champions League quarter-finals, the Lyonnaises are in a favorable position and will have to win the return match next week to reach the semifinals.
Jonathan Giraldez’s players suffered their first defeat of the season at a critical moment, as this trip to Germany was a test for their European ambitions. To qualify for the C1 semi-finals, they will need to win by two goals next Thursday (April 2, 9:00 pm) at Groupama Stadium. In the group stage, they finished in 2nd place with five wins and one draw, and they had defeated Wolfsburg 3-1 at home.
“It is true that there is disappointment, but we know it is only the first match, there are still 90 minutes. Now, it is up to us to analyze and come back stronger. There were still good things, we created chances, we even hit the post,” said Lyonnes’ right-back Ashley Lawrence on L’Equipe channel.
Undefeated until now (28 wins, 2 draws), the Lyonnaises conceded the opening goal in the 14th minute, scored by Lineth Beerensteyn.
On a misunderstanding between Lindsey Heaps and Ashley Lawrence, Vivien Endemann made a counterattack on the left side and found Beerensteyn, whose shot was blocked by Damaris Egurrola, beating goalkeeper Christiane Endler.
This was the third time this season in the Champions League that Lyonnes were behind. London against Arsenal, they ultimately won 2-1 after an early goal by the London team, and in Turin against Juventus, they drew 3-3 after trailing by three goals at halftime.
Unlike those two group stage matches, Wendie Renard’s teammates could not break through Wolfsburg’s defense. Lyonnes came back stronger in the second half but often faced a well-organized Wolfsburg defense.
The best opportunity came from Kadidiatou Diani, who hit the post of goalkeeper Stina Johannes in the 59th minute, after a nice exchange with Ada Hegerberg in the heart of Wolfsburg’s area.
