Record winners Olympique Lyon and their German trio can continue to dream of their ninth triumph in the Women’s Football Champions League after their clear second-leg win against Benfica Lisbon.
The French team won the quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt’s preliminary round opponents Benfica Lisbon 4:1 (1:1) and became the first team to reach the semi-finals. Lyon had already won the first leg in Portugal 2-1.
Quarterfinals arrow right
Of the three German players in the OL squad, national player Sara Däbritz was in the starting line-up after her winning goal in the first leg, but was substituted at half-time. Former national team captain Dzsenifer Maroszan and Laura Benkarth did not play.
Cascarino scores twice
Lyon’s match winner was Delphine Cascarino. The Frenchwoman scored the first two goals (43rd and 51st) for the hosts. In the final phase, Bathy Mbock (90th+1) and Vicki Becho Desbonne (90th+6) increased the score. Lisbon, which had recorded a 1-0 and a 1-1 draw against Frankfurt in the group phase, was able to temporarily equalize shortly before the end of the first half through Marie-Yasmine Alidiou d’Anjou (45th).
The other semi-finalists have not yet been determined. In the three other quarter-finals, FC Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s group opponents Ajax Amsterdam will meet later on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, defending champions and Frankfurt’s second group opponents FC Barcelona and SK Brann from Norway as well as Paris St. Germain as winners of the Munich preliminary group and the Swedish representatives BK Häcken will compete against each other.
German teams disappointed
Champions and Bundesliga leaders Munich and Frankfurt failed in the preliminary round. VfL Wolfsburg, who had previously won the title, had already had to bury their hopes in qualifying. This means that for the first time since the introduction of the Women’s Champions League in the 2001/02 season, there is no Bundesliga club in the round of the last eight teams.