💫 Lyon defeat Arsenal in UWCL semi-final first leg | OneFootball

Lyon will take a 2-1 aggregate lead into the second leg of their Women's Champions League tie against Arsenal after a narrow victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Scorers: Diani 17', Caldentey 78', Dumornay 82'

Lyon carved out the first chance as Daniëlle van de Donk pounced on a loose ball after Manuela Zinsberger denied Selma Bacha, but the former Arsenal midfielder fired just wide.

The visitors soon took the lead as Kadidiatou Diani broke down the right and fired home, with a brief VAR check for offside confirming the goal.

Lyon almost doubled their lead before the break when Beth Mead was caught in possession and Melchie Dumornay let fly from roughly 40 yards out, spotting Zinsberger off her line, only to be denied a goal-of-the-season contender by the woodwork.

The start of the second half was all Arsenal, however, as Frida Maanum, Caitlin Foord and Mead all came close to levelling things up, and their persistence eventually paid off when they were awarded a penalty.

Christiane Endler attempted to punch the ball clear from a corner but missed, instead catching Leah Williamson’s head, and Mariona Caldentey then calmly converted the resulting penalty after VAR intervention.

Arsenal's efforts proved to be in vain as Lyon restored their one-goal lead just minutes later, with Dumornay running behind the Gunners' backline to fire past the keeper.

Renée Slegers' side now face a huge task in the second leg in Lyon next week if they're to turn things around.

📸 JUSTIN TALLIS - AFP or licensors