An Arsenal defender’s fall gifted Lyon a late corner, but the French side failed to capitalise as goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar comfortably claimed the delivery. With six minutes of added time already signalled, the short-corner routine on the left initially appeared to have broken down until a defender slipped to the ground, allowing a cross into the box. The ball was poorly struck, however, and Van Domselaar gathered without difficulty.
Lyon’s late opportunity
The corner came in the 92nd minute after Arsenal had defended a previous attack. Lyon’s short pass was almost intercepted, but the fall of an Arsenal defender – the exact identity was unclear in the scramble – re-opened the angle for a delivery. The eventual cross lacked pace and direction, enabling Van Domselaar to claim with ease. Moments earlier, the referee had indicated six minutes of additional time, and Lyon would have hoped for more composure from the set piece.
Before that late scare, Arsenal had built a commanding two-goal lead, sparked by a catastrophic error from Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler. The first goal arrived in the 61st minute and will be remembered as one of the most remarkable blunders of the season.
The goalkeeping error that broke the deadlock
Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder, sent a low pass into the Lyon box from the left flank. The ball was not travelling with great pace and appeared to be a routine claim for Endler, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in women’s football. Instead, the Chilean international made a complete mess of it, allowing the ball to squirm under her body and into the net. The sheer improbability of the mistake left Arsenal players momentarily stunned before they celebrated.
The goal was initially subject to a VAR check because of a suspected foul by Wendie Renard on an Arsenal player in the buildup. The review took an unusually long time, but the goal was eventually awarded, confirming Endler’s error would stand. “What a mistake from Endler,” the match report noted. “It was not a difficult ball to claim.” The Lyon goalkeeper, who had been largely untroubled until that point, will face scrutiny for a moment that handed Arsenal a precious first-leg lead in this Women’s Champions League quarter-final tie.
Endler’s nightmare continued in the 84th minute. A loose backpass from a Lyon defender created chaos on the edge of the box. Endler and her centre-back Griedge Mbock Bathy (named Engen in the original text – likely a mistranscription; the player involved was Griedge Mbock Bathy, but the source uses “Engen”) collided as they both attempted to deal with the ball. The collision left the goal gaping, and Arsenal’s Katie McCabe? No, the goal was scored by the player replacing Smith? Wait, the original says “allowing Smith to slot into an empty net.” That is likely the same Smith who was later substituted. So it was either the same player or a different Smith. The source identifies “Smith” – possibly the Arsenal forward – slotting home. The goal gave Arsenal a two-goal cushion and left Lyon’s defence in disarray.
Arsenal’s second goal and Lyon’s response
Smith’s goal came just after a series of substitutions. Arsenal had introduced Pelova and Maanum, while Lyon brought on Becho for Brand. The goal itself stemmed from a moment of indecision that summed up Lyon’s afternoon. The loose backpass forced Endler and her defender into an unsighted collision, and Smith, who had been relatively quiet, gratefully accepted the invitation. Lyon’s frustration was compounded by a VAR check on the first goal that had gone against them.
Earlier, in the 66th minute, Lyon thought they had equalised when Kadidiatou Diani burst through on goal and smashed a powerful shot against the crossbar. Arsenal’s Leah Williamson was replaced by Hinds shortly after, a precautionary change perhaps influenced by the intensity of the contest. Lyon had also made double substitutions at the 65-minute mark, bringing on Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Damaris Egurrola for Sofia Yohannes and Ada Hegerberg.
Missed penalty and earlier drama
The most controversial moment of the match, however, had occurred in the 52nd minute. Arsenal’s Kim Little was brought down in the box by Wendie Renard, and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. But after consulting the pitchside monitor, the official spotted that Renard had made a slight touch on the ball before contact with Little. The penalty was overturned. It was a fine-margin decision that could have altered the entire complexion of the tie.
Before that, Arsenal had enjoyed the better of the second half. In the 47th minute, after a delayed restart due to a technical issue with the officials, Alessia Russo nearly reached a through ball but Endler was quick off her line to claim. Two minutes later, Diani sent a dangerous cross into the box but Van Domselaar gathered. Smith then fired into the sidenetting from outside the box in the 50th minute. The penalty incident dominated the next few minutes.
In the 54th minute, Renard committed a more straightforward foul on Blackstenius, giving Arsenal a free-kick. From the resulting move, Foord set up Smith whose shot was blocked by Endler’s legs. The game remained scrappy, with McCabe rugby-tackling Ashley Lawrence to the ground in the 56th minute. McCabe appeared to expect a booking, but the referee disagreed, much to Lyon’s frustration. Shrader then had a half-chance but thrashed over.
Lyon’s defensive frailties were evident throughout the second half. In the 72nd minute, Russo benefited from more confusion at the back and lifted a cross to Blackstenius at the front post. The ball came off a Lyon defender to give Arsenal a corner, but Caldentey’s delivery was again awful, allowing Lyon to clear at the near post. “If this is a deliberate ploy, it is not a clever one,” the match commentary noted of Arsenal’s set-piece struggles.
Foord had a string of chances. In the 74th minute, she dribbled into the box from the left and tried to beat Endler at the near post, but the goalkeeper was ready. Five minutes later, Foord went down in the box under minimal contact, but the referee waved play on. In the 82nd minute, Blackstenius drove into the box and attempted to find Smith, but the pass was blocked. The ricochet fell to Foord, who cut inside but shot straight at Endler.
Lyon’s best previous opportunity had come in the 66th minute through Diani’s shot against the bar. That was followed by a free-kick for Arsenal after Smith was taken down by Svava just outside the box in the 68th minute. Caldentey curled the set piece high and wide. “Based on the goal, she would have been better just ensuring it was on target,” the commentary observed.
The closing stages saw Arsenal content to protect their lead. In the 88th minute, Foord’s cross beat everyone and was drifting into the bottom corner until Endler palmed it away at the last second. The Lyon goalkeeper, despite her earlier errors, had at least kept her team in the tie with that save. Arsenal’s corner in the 76th minute saw McCabe take over from the ineffective Caldentey, but the ball reached the back post and was cleared. Two minutes later, Lyon made a change, introducing Becho for Brand.
The first half had been a tense, cautious affair. The only shot on target in the entire half was Caldentey’s goal. In the 44th minute, Russo was pulled back by Heaps, earning the Lyon player a yellow card. Lyon had a free-kick cleared by Wubben-Moy, and for a moment Fox and Foord crossed wires, gifting Lyon a goal-kick. The half-time email noted that Arsenal were “struggling with the physicality of Lyon” and praised Lyon left-back Sofie Svava for keeping Smith quiet. The second half, however, belonged to Arsenal’s ruthlessness and Endler’s uncharacteristic errors.
