Arsenal stuns 8-time champ Lyon with 4-1 away win to reach Women's Champions League final
Arsenal stunned Lyon with a 4-1 away win to reach the Women's Champions League final at the eight-time champion's expense on Sunday.
Lyon, previously unbeaten across all competitions this season, won the first leg of their semifinal 2-1 in London last week. But goals from Mariona Caldentey, Alessio Russo and Caitlin Foord – after an own-goal from Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler – gave Arsenal a 5-3 win on aggregate and set up a showdown with defending champion Barcelona in the final.
Barcelona had earlier routed Chelsea 4-1 – after also winning 4-1 in the first leg of their semifinal match – to book its place in the final at Lisbon's 50,000-capacity Estádio José Alvalade on May 24.
But the Catalan side won't relish playing an Arsenal team that seems to relish adversity, with the London team coming from behind in both the quarterfinals and semifinals after losing first legs against Real Madrid and now Lyon.
The French team was hoping to avenge its final defeat to Barcelona last year as it tried reaching the final for a record 12th time. It never looked likely as Arsenal attacked from the start and only conceded late when Melchie Dumornay pulled one back in the 81st minute.
Endler made a brilliant early save to deny Kim Little, but the visitors scored from the resulting corner when Chloe Kelly's delivery was headed by Lyon defender Damaris Egurrola off Endler's back from where it rebounded in.
Caldentey struck a brilliant shot from distance inside the top right corner before halftime, and it got worse for Lyon after the break with Russo surging through Lyon's falling defenders to make it 3-0 within a minute of the restart. Foord capitalized on another slip in the Lyon defense to seal the win in the 63rd.
It meant Lyon conceded more goals in one game than it had in the entire Champions League all season.
For Arsenal, the only English team to win the competition, it will be a first final appearance since beating Umeå for the trophy in 2007.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
39 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Australia's experience in England will help them in WTC final: Harbhajan
As the ICC World Test Championship final 2025 inches closer, the cricketing world awaits a classic contest between defending champions Australia and a determined South African outfit. The summit clash at Lord's promises high-quality cricket, tense moments and individual brilliance. While South Africa have shown remarkable growth under Temba Bavuma, many believe Australia still carry a crucial edge — thanks to their familiarity with English conditions and past success in big-match scenarios. Former cricketers and current JioStar experts Aakash Chopra and Harbhajan Singh shared their insights on Star Sports and JioHotstar ahead of the marquee clash. They pointed to key factors like Pat Cummins' all-round value, Australia's mental strength, and the threat posed by match-winners like Travis Head and Nathan Lyon as possible deciders in this much-anticipated final. Cummins' all-round presence a major asset Aakash Chopra believes Pat Cummins stands out not just for his bowling but for his multi-dimensional impact on the game. He noted that Cummins has a knack for breaking partnerships at crucial stages and contributes with the bat down the order as well. Chopra underlined that Cummins' leadership plays a central role in keeping the opposition under pressure throughout the match. Australia's experience in English conditions will count Harbhajan Singh pointed out that Australia's familiarity with English conditions, owing to frequent tours and past WTC finals, gives them an edge. He remarked that having played high-stakes cricket in England, especially the Ashes, the Aussies know how to adapt and strategise better than most. He felt this experience would be invaluable against a less-exposed South African side. Handling pressure sets Australia apart According to Harbhajan, what separates Australia from others in global events is their composure under pressure. He observed that their ability to remain calm and decisive during crunch situations is a key reason behind their unmatched success in ICC tournaments over the years. Key roles for Lyon and Head The veteran spinner also highlighted Nathan Lyon and Travis Head as players to watch. He felt Lyon could exploit South Africa's relative weakness against spin, while Head's aggressive batting could be game-changing if he finds rhythm. Both, he noted, are capable of shifting momentum rapidly in Australia's favour.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Monty Panesar's WTC winner prediction: ‘South Africa win will be wonderful cricket story, they play less Tests than India, Australia and England'
Australia and South Africa face off in the third World Test Championship Final, which will be held at Lord's for the first time. Former England cricketer Monty Panesar tells The Indian Express which bowler among both sides is more suited to make the best use of the famous Lord's slope, how the conditions are different this time around at the venue because of the dry spell across the country and his pick among the captains Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma. Excerpts: How do conditions play in the Lord's generally? And how does its famous slope play out? It helps the seamers a lot, especially with the overcast conditions. Expect the ball to seam and swing. Using the slope is something that a lot of fast bowlers have done well. When you're looking to seam the ball away from the batsman, it kind of just straightens and batters tend play inside of the line, getting the outside edge. You can use the slope to get seam movement and the angle. Who do you think can exploit the slope at Lord's to their advantage? Josh Hazlewood would be effective on this slope, perfect conditions for him. He is the key man. Similar to Glen McGrath's style. McGrath used the slope well. All you have to do is get that ball to straighten and it tends not to bounce as much of length – so you get LBWs bowled a lot. Someone like Hazlewood could do that. As a batter would be worried about the ball coming in and then suddenly, all it does is straighten a little bit and makes it – a LBW, bowled, caught slip. Hazlewood could be very dangerous on that pitch. Which bowler from South Africa do you think can exploit that slope better? Rabada would be a good one if he pitches the ball up a little bit because he bowls back of the length generally. If he can pitch it up a little bit more, then maybe you'll get an opportunity to do that. Both Nathan Lyon and Keshav Maharaj are experienced campaigners. How effective do you think they will be? They are going to have similar roles probably. Lyon will be bowling it slightly quicker than Maharaj, but they bowl kind of similar lines, wicket to wicket, very attacking. Lyon will probably go around the wicket, use that angle quite effectively against the right-handers. Maharaj can get that ball to hang in the air slightly longer than you expect. I hope he has a good shape on the ball because, he could be quite effective against Australia at Lord's because the odd one turns. It has been a very dry summer in England. June tends to be still an early cricketing season, but how will the heat affect the wicket for this one-off game? With the dry surfaces, you may not get as much pace on the pitch. So, having fielders in front of the square, would be quite effective for the fast bowlers. The edges may not be coming after the ball gets old, so maybe they have to adjust the field set. They may also have to go to the short-ball strategy and actually, have a leg slip, a short leg. You may not get the natural catches in the second or third slip because of the lack of pace from the Lord's pitch and you have to find other ways of getting the wickets. How will the Dukes ball play out, it's not been as bowler friendly in recent times, right? Yeah, what's happening down to the simple reason they have got new balls manufactured, and those don't hold their shape very long. It's happening in county cricket as well. A lot of balls have been changed after the 30th over because they go out of shape. And because of that, it hasn't really helped the bowlers so much. Neither South Africa nor Australia has played Test cricket for a while now. How should both sides adapt here? Australians are going to be more suited to the seam and bouncing pitches; they may have to adjust slightly to the lower bounce. Their batsmen are more effective on the cuts and the pulls and here they might have to find scoring options off the front foot. Both teams are coming from bouncier pitches, and the batting team that adjusts to the lower bounce and the English conditions will probably have a better chance of winning the Test match. Both Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma have been in their captaincy roles for a while now. Who do you think is tactically more astute? Probably Pat Cummins is slightly more tactically ahead because he's just played more Test matches. But Bavuma is very good strategically as he has been able to enforce results for South Africa despite the limited number of Test matches that they play. This WTC could be the making of Bavuma if he gets his tactics absolutely spot-on against Australia. He can't let the game drift, he will have to take the game on to the Australians. Who will you pick as the winner? Australia, obviously, are the favourites but I hope South Africa win because we often talk about the big three (India, England and Australia) and it's nice to see another team winning. We don't talk much about someone like Bavuma when it comes to captaincy leadership; he's quite an unassuming sort of background guy. It would be a wonderful cricketing story for the world to see that, well, here's a team like South Africa that plays less Test matches compared to India, Australia and England but has won the WTC. Hopefully then the ICC will think on how to get the countries that play less Test cricket to play more.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Australia announces playing 11 for WTC 2025 final; Cameron Green included
Australia have unveiled a balanced and experienced playing 11 for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025, set to begin on June 11 at Lord's, London. With a clear intention to defend their WTC title, skipper Pat Cummins confirmed a line-up that blends stability with strategic flexibility. The biggest headline is the return of all-rounder Cameron Green, who is set to make his comeback in whites after recovering from a back injury. Marnus Labuschagne, traditionally a No. 3 batter, is set to open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja, showcasing Australia's adaptive approach. According to Cummins, this change was designed to give the batting order more depth in the middle. Labuschagne to open, Green returns to Test fold In a notable tactical move, Australia will promote Marnus Labuschagne to partner Khawaja at the top. While he has never opened in Tests before, the team management believes his composure suits the challenge at Lord's. Cameron Green's inclusion adds heft to the batting line-up and offers a valuable seam option alongside Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Cummins himself. Cummins noted that Green has recovered well and looked in rhythm during training, making his selection a straightforward decision. Green last played a Test during the 2024 summer before undergoing surgery. Hazlewood preferred over Boland in pace unit Australia have opted to field Josh Hazlewood ahead of Scott Boland for the final seamer's slot. Hazlewood's greater experience in English conditions and recent form tipped the scales in his favour. Cummins acknowledged the difficulty in leaving out Boland but stressed the need to go with the 'best possible combination'. Webster retains spot, Lyon to lead spin attack Beau Webster keeps his place in the 11, offering flexibility with his ability to bowl both seam and off-spin. Nathan Lyon will shoulder the primary spin duties, playing his second WTC final after a pivotal role in the 2023 triumph. Australia playing 11 for WTC 2025 Final: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
