Lyon to face Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final after ousting PSG
PARIS (AP) — Lyon will play Barcelona in the final of the Women’s Champions League after beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the semifinal second leg and 5-3 on aggregate.
Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay scored for the visitors on Sunday.
The May 25 final in Bilbao, northern Spain, will be a rematch of the 2019 and 2022 finals, both won by Lyon, the most successful club in the competition with eight titles.
Lyon is the only team still unbeaten in the Women’s Champions League this season.
“We’ve worked so hard this past year to get back to this point,” Lyon midfielder Lindsey Horan told broadcaster DAZN. “Obviously, coming off the last year and going into this season, we knew this was a goal of ours and a dream of ours again, and that’s the standard of this club and the level that we hold. I’m so proud of this team.”
In an all-French encounter, Lyon caught PSG off guard by playing a short corner in the third minute. Bacha cut inside to open the scoring with a low drive from the edge of the box.
Lyon nearly doubled the lead in the 34th but PSG goalkeeper Constance Picaud pulled off an outstanding save to prevent her teammate Jade Le Guilly from scoring an own-goal.
PSG capitalized on a Lyon turnover in midfield to equalize with an angled strike from Tabitha Chawinga into the far corner in the 41st.
Picaud kept PSG in the game by tipping a shot from France forward Kadidiatou Diani over the bar in the 43rd, denying Dumornay in the 52nd and parrying shots from Amel Majri and Dumornay in the 65th.
Lyon put the overall result beyond doubt in the 81st when Majri cushioned a cross into the path of Dumornay, who guided the ball into the bottom corner.
PSG and Lyon were meeting for a record 11th time in this competition.
Lyon won the first leg 3-2.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
