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Jule Brand’s late winner settled an absorbing semi-final to end Arsenal’s defence of their Women’s Champions League title and sent OL Lyonnes through to a record-extending 12th European final.
With the second leg level at 3-3 on aggregate after Alessia Russo’s goal for Arsenal and seemingly heading for extra time, Brand collected Melchie Dumornay’s chipped through ball and tucked a neat finish into the far corner. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but after a three-minute VAR check the goal was given.
The home side were deserved winners, thanks largely to inspired performances from Dumornay and Kadidiatou Diani. With Dumornay seemingly everywhere and the youngster Lily Yohannes pulling the strings in midfield, Lyonnes caused Arsenal extensive problems, especially in the first half with Diani’s pace on the right wing a constant threat.
The eight-time European champions thought they had found an early goal when Lindsey Heaps rose highest and headed in from the back post at a deep corner, but the VAR, after a lengthy delay, ruled Ingrid Engen had been in an offside position in front of the Arsenal goalkeeper, Daphne van Domselaar.
It did not take long for them to open the scoring, though, after another long VAR check, with Lotte Wubben-Moy penalised for a foul in the area on Dumornay, who was simply too quick for her and Emily Fox as she somehow squeezed between them.
Wendie Renard’s penalty was saved by Van Domselaar, struck at a kind height to the goalkeeper’s left, but the officials ordered a retake after Van Domselaar stepped off her line before the kick was taken. Renard, a veteran of eight Lyonnes Champions League trophies, made no mistake at the second attempt, sending the keeper the wrong way.
Arsenal continued to look vulnerable from Brand’s set-pieces and she picked out Diani at the back post to make it 2-0, with the home fans bouncing to the beat of a drum in the stands as their hopes grew of a trip to the final in Oslo on 23 May.
Arsenal had rarely seemed to test the Lyonnes goalkeeper, Christiane Endler, but they did go close twice just before the hour mark. Stina Blackstenius – the scorer of their winning goal in last season’s final – saw her great strike hit the woodwork before the offside flag was raised, moments before Olivia Smith’s scrappy effort hit the base of the post. The substitute Victoria Pelova then had a low shot saved from just outside the area.
The game took a twist as another Arsenal substitute, Smilla Holmberg, sent over a terrific cross Russo did well to divert into the far corner by darting in between two defenders. It was Russo’s ninth Champions League goal of the campaign to make her the competition’s outright leading goalscorer this season.
Dumornay’s dipping shot dropped narrowly wide as the home side searched for a winner, before she turned provider for Brand and booked a meeting with either Barcelona or Bayern Munich in Norway.
