Around OL: OL Féminin Defeat PSG in First Leg of Champions League Quarterfinal
OL Féminin Secure Win Over PSG in Champions League Quarterfinal
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and Paris Saint-Germain met on Wednesday, March 24 for the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal at Parc des Princes in Paris. The first half of the match was dominated by the Parisians, with both Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani finding chances on goal, forcing OL team captain Sara Bouhaddi into a string of saves. Despite PSG’s command of the match, the two teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Lyon upped the tempo after the break, spending a lot of their time in the Parisian half of the field. In the final minutes of the match, OL was awarded a penalty kick after what appeared to be an inadvertent handball from Formiga, which captain Wendie Renard converted in the 85th minute. The goal was enough to secure the win for the Lyonnaises, giving them an important advantage going into the second leg of the Champions League series.
PSG and OL will face off again on Wednesday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m. PT in a match that will decide who heads to the semifinal round against Barcelona or Manchester City.
Six OL Players Called Up to National Teams for International Break
Six OL players have been called up to their respective national teams during the international break. Four players will be competing in the first matches of 2022 World Cup Qualifying while two players will be competing in the final matches of Qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations. This will be a busy break for Lyon players, as each team is expected to play a minimum of three matches.
OL Players Called in by Country
Netherlands: Memphis Depay (Forward)
France: Léo Dubois (Defender)
Portugal: Anthony Lopes (Goalkeeper)
Belgium: Jason Denayer (Defender)
Algeria: Islam Slimani (Forward), Djamel Benlamri (Defender)
OL Drops Result to Rivals PSG
Heading into the international break, Olympique Lyonnais (17-4-9, 60 points, 3rd) lost its first Ligue 1 match against a member of the top four this the season, dropping a 4-2 result to Paris Saint-Germain (20-7-3, 63 points, 1st) at Groupama Stadium in Lyon on Sunday, March 21.
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain in the 15th minute, slotting a rebounded save between the legs of Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes. PSG maintained form while Lyon struggled to find success the final third of the field. Danilo Pereira doubled PSG’s lead in the 31st minute, leaving Lyon down by two goals going into halftime.
Lyon started slowly after the break, conceding a 47th minute goal on an Ángel Di María free kick. Just minutes later, Mbappé took advantage of a counterattack, putting Lyon down 4-0 just 51 minutes into the match. This was Mbappé’s 100th Ligue 1 goal, making him the youngest player to reach this milestone at just 22 years old.
Lyon were revitalized when coach, Rudi Garcia, made a triple substitution in the 56th minute. Substitute Islam Slimani scored his first league goal in the 62nd minute, converting his chance.
OL continued to press PSG, looking for a comeback. A second goal for Lyon came in the 80th minute when Rayan Churki played Maxwel Cornet, who confidently threaded the ball past the PSG goalkeeper. Unfortunately, the reaction from Olympique Lyonnais came too late and they dropped the game to PSG, who took the top spot in the Ligue 1 table.
After the international break, there are still eight matches left in the season for Olympique Lyonnais to secure a coveted top-three finish and corresponding spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Upcoming Matches Around OL
Dijon vs. Olympique Lyonnais Féminin – Stadium Poussots, Dijon, France – Saturday, March 27, 10:45 a.m. PT
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin vs. Paris Saint-Germain – UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarterfinal, second leg – Groupama OL Academy, Décines-Charpieu, France – Wednesday, March 31, 9:30 a.m. PT