With a double from Diani, Lyon won more painfully than the score indicates at the expense of AS Rome (4-1) and validated its qualification for the quarter-finals of the Women’s Football Champions League , Wednesday at the Groupama stadium in Décines-Charpieu.
In the first leg, OL won more easily by 3-0 after a much better controlled match. Two days before the end of the preliminary phase, Olympique Lyonnais leads Group A with six points ahead of AS Rome (2nd) and Wolfsburg (3rd), who have six points each.
Kadidiatou Diani replacement
The entry into play of Kadidiatou Diani in the 63rd minute, in place of Daniele Van de Donk, was decisive in changing this meeting on the fourth day. The former Parisian equalized then gave the advantage when receiving two corners played from the right by the Dane Sofie Svava (77th, 79th), before delivering an assist to Eugénie Le Sommer who brought the score to 3- 1 (89th) after replacing Melchie Dumornay two minutes earlier.
In added time, Wendie Renard added a fourth goal by heading a corner once again played by Svava (90th + 2). However, AS Roma opened the scoring with Giulia Dragoni who took over a cross delivered from the right wing by Frederikke Thogersen in an action which completely overwhelmed the Lyon defense (74th).
Difficult match
This goal from the Romans sanctioned the sterile and monotonous game of OL which has long been disappointing during a boring match, played at 9 p.m. in winter temperatures in front of around 3,000 spectators, in a Groupama stadium that can hold 59,000.
In the first half, OL seemed in a wait-and-see position against a cautious opponent before taking more of the initiative after half-time as everything came together in the last quarter of an hour.
“The first half was not satisfactory and we were keen to come back after the break with a different determination. The coach (Joe Montemurro) wasn’t particularly happy with our first half. We were struggling to find ourselves and something was missing defensively,” admitted Diani.
Tabitha Chawinga still silent
“We lacked aggression, or perhaps a little freshness. We lacked precision and we were able to rectify that in the second half in the pressing. The goal we conceded did us good. He forced us to react. We reacted but the qualification is there, that’s the most important thing,” conceded Wendie Renard.
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Tabitha Chawinga, still waiting to open her goals tally in the Champions League this season, was the first to score a shot in the match, saved by goalkeeper Camelia Caesar in the 39th minute. This also intervened well on attempts by Daniele Van de Donk (49th) then Melchie Dumornay (52nd) but also by Dzsenifer Marozsan (76th, 85th) and Lindsay Horan (90th + 3).
