Arsenal showed they can threaten Lyon in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, but heading to France for next weekend’s decider with a 2-1 deficit is a fair reflection of where they are compared to their opponents.
This is the second time Arsenal’s women have reached this stage in three years. By contrast, Lyon have progressed from their previous 11 semi-finals in this competition, going on to win eight of the resulting finals.
Renee Slegers’ side have reached the last four on merit. They outplayed Real Madrid in the second leg of their quarter-final and welcomed Lyon to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday having scored more goals (50), earned more points (40) and kept more clean sheets (nine) than any other Women’s Super League team since Slegers took charge following Jonas Eidevall’s October resignation.
Despite this, it was clear ahead of kick-off yesterday that the home side were a side looking to create modern history rather than build on existing pedigree.
In the period immediately after Arsenal’s smart start — the hosts kept the ball from the kick-off to build the first attack of the game — Lyon showed why they are so respected across Europe. Right-winger Kadidiatou Diani and right-back Ellie Carpenter consistently found space to exploit on that…
