Report: Arsenal Women 1-2 Lyon

Our UEFA Women’s Champions League journey got off to a disappointing start as we surrendered a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 at home to Lyon on Tuesday.

The game began brilliantly for us when Alessia Russo fired us into a seventh-minute lead, but defensive mistakes allowed the French champions to turn the game around by way of a Melchie Dumornay brace.

FIRST HALF

We came flying out the traps at Meadow Park, Beth Mead playing a nice one-two with Mariona Caldentey before taking her time on the ball and sliding it through to Russo, who was calm and composed to pick out the bottom right corner on her left foot for 1-0.

At the other end, Selma Bacha’s shot was blocked by Chloe Kelly for a corner, and Dumornay shot wide from the edge of the area.

But, in the 18th minute, Daphne van Domselaar gave the ball away to Dumornay, whose first shot was saved by our goalkeeper, but the rebound was tapped across the line for 1-1.

Frida Maanum played a one-two with Taylor Hinds and went for goal in response, but it was too central to trouble Christiane Endler.

Then, the visitors capitalised on an error from ourselves again, Mariona giving the ball away and Katie Reid’s clearance going to Dumornay, who bent a shot into the top left for 2-1.

Moments later, our corner came out to Mariona, who curled a volley to the bottom right, but Endler got down to her left to save, before Kelly won possession in the final third and fired over the bar.

Lyon pushed for more goals just beyond the half-hour mark as Tabitha Chawinga struck over after a Lyon corner lead to a goalmouth scramble, and Chawinga shot just wide of the bottom right from long range.

With half-time approaching, Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s header was caught by Van Domselaar, who then denied Lyon’s number nine again from close range.

SECOND HALF

We began the second half in the ascendancy, Mariona’s corner headed back across goal by Russo, but Endler got her hands on it.

Mariona’s strike from the edge of the box was then tipped over by Endler, before we made our first two changes of the night as Caitlin Foord and Olivia Smith came on for Kelly and Mead.

Katoto then hooked the ball wide after Dumornay’s shot was blocked, and Russo’s next effort met the same fate from Emily Fox’s cross.

Kadidiatou Diani bent an effort high and wide, then Katoto knocked a close range-strike just past the post, before Korbin Shrader shot straight at Van Domselaar from 25 yards out.

After Diani shot straight at Van Domselaar, our next changes came in the 75th minute, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Stina Blackstenius replacing Mariona and Russo.

Dumornay shot straight at Van Domselaar again with eight minutes left on the clock, before Hinds was replaced by Katie McCabe.

Six minutes were added on at the end of the second half but, with Foord firing wide on the volley from a McCabe free-kick, we were unable to find an equaliser.

WHAT’S NEXT

Barclays Women’s Super League football returns to Emirates Stadium, where we host Brighton & Hove Albion at 2.30pm on Sunday.

That’s followed by our first UEFA Women’s Champions League away game of the season, against Benfica at 8pm on Thursday, October 16. Then, our players will be off to represent their countries in the international break.

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