TOPS
Jostled by the Portuguese during the first period and the start of the second act, we believed that OL were going to leave the Estadio de la Luz empty-handed. But in a burst of pride, the lion woke up in the second half, and after that the Eagles never became predators again. The eight-time European champions showed why they are, Cascarino sounded the revolt by equalizing (64th). And then it was a recital. With twice as much desire and technical quality, the Lyonnaises manhandled the Benfiquists, and completely turned the match around. Despite Becho’s offside goal coming into play a few seconds earlier, the minute that followed was good. Dabritz, who had previously brushed the post, smashed his header into Pauels’ goal. At 2-1, there was no turning back. They went for this victory.
For a first in this area, Benfica does not have to be ashamed of its performance. Facing the most successful team in the Champions League, the Portuguese were novices. They have never qualified for the second round of the competition. Worse still, the last time they faced OL, they were slapped 5-0 in the first leg, 5-0 in the return. But at least the Benfiquists knew what to expect and it showed. During an hour of play, it looked like they were the eight-time European champions, as they caused Les Gones so much difficulty. Jostled, the Lyonnaises were unrecognizable and even got pushed around a few times, to which they responded with fouls. The Lisbonites even managed to lead thanks to their impeccable fighting spirit, but in the second half, the lack of experience caught up with them.
FLOPS
Looking for the flaw in the Lisbon defense, it was ultimately that of Lyon which cracked first. While OL had the ball in midfield, Vanessa Gilles tried to find her captain Griedge Mbock, but did not press her pass enough. Never in the middle, as we often say at football school… Too short, Mbock was unable to prevent the ball from Faria, who was quick to score solo in front of Endler. Face-to-face, the Portuguese beat the Lyon goalkeeper in their second clear action of the match. A few minutes later, she did it again without consequences fortunately, otherwise the outcome of the match would undoubtedly have been different.
The three French internationals were aligned within the Lyon attack from the outset, but the three were in trouble in Lisbon. First, Le Sommer had a few opportunities to score, but she often lacked power without her shots to worry Pauels, the opposing goalkeeper who was in good shape this Tuesday evening. Majri was pushed around by Nigerian defender Ucheibe and was unable to properly develop her game. Both were replaced before the hour mark by their coach. Concerning Kadidiatou Diani, the top scorer in the competition (with 5 points), came up against Benfica’s goal numerous times, and was left wanting when Sonia Bompastor replaced her in the 77th minute.
