Arsenal women’s player ratings vs Lyon: Olivia Smith comes up big! Gunners’ record signing punishes error-strewn OL to provide slender Champions League semi-final advantage
Arsenal will take a slender advantage into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with Lyon, after the defending European champions beat the eight-time winners 2-1 in north London on Sunday. Jule Brand had given OL an early lead but two calamitous errors in the visitors’ defence proved costly, as Ingrid Engen’s own goal levelled the scores up to set the scene for Olivia Smith, who had been a livewire all afternoon, to win the game late on.
These two met at this same stage 12 months ago, with Lyon able to win 2-1 on that occasion before falling to a surprisingly big 4-1 defeat on their own turf. It would allow Arsenal to reach the final, where they beat Barcelonain a European run that was all about comebacks for the Gunners. This year, things are different. After beating Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals, to progress by winning 3-2 on aggregatethe defending champions have another advantage here, though they did have to turn things around on the day after Brand broke the deadlock with 18 minutes on the clock.
Arsenal responded well to that setback, though, with Caitlin Foord sending a header just wide before half time and the chances would flow even more after the break. Smith smashed an effort into the sidenetting and forced Christiane Endler into a smart save with another, while Kim Little had a penalty given and then overturned as the Gunners turned the screw. Then, in truly unexpected fashion, the scores were levelled just before the hour, as Caldentey’s low free-kick was spilled by Endler and eventually ended up in the back of the net, despite Engen’s best efforts.
Lyon, who left star forward Melchie Dumornay unused on the bench as she recovers from an injury, did have their opportunities, with Korbin Shrader sending one just over the bar and Kadidiatou Diani rattling the woodwork, but the big late chances would fall to the Gunners – and when Foord couldn’t convert the first, Smith would step up to pounce on another mistake at the back. Lindsey Heaps’ pass was loose, Engen waited for Endler and Endler was slow off her line, allowing Arsenal’s record signing to give her side the lead with seven minutes remaining.
Having trailed 2-1 at this exact point last season, only to turn it around themselves, the Gunners will take nothing for granted. There is also the fact that they have to play in the Women’s Super League in three days’ time, while lacking depth due to the absences of several key players. But Renee Slegers’ side have put themselves in an excellent position here, as they look to continue their Champions League title defence into a second successive final.
GOAL rates Arsenal’s players from the Emirates Stadium…
