Two doubles from Delphine Cascarino and Kadidiatou Diani allowed Lyon to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League by beating Benfica Lisbon 4-1, Wednesday March 27 at the Groupama stadium in Décines-Charpieu (Rhône), in second leg of the quarter-finals. In the first leg, OL had already won 2-1 and Cascarino had already been decisive by equalizing at 1-1 while the Lyonnaises were trailing at half-time.
For this second round played in front of nearly 20,000 spectators, Lyon, who will face Paris Saint-Germain or the Swedes of Häcken in the semi-final, opposed Thursday at the Parc des Princes, still dominated for a long time without scoring during a first period quite poor, certainly without Ada Hegerberg, injured.
While Eugénie Le Sommer and Delphine Cascarino failed in front of the Lisbon cage, the latter still managed to open the score after a back serve from Le Sommer, who had benefited from a missed exit from goalkeeper Lena Pauels. But Benfica managed to quickly equalize through Marie-Yasmine Alidou, receiving a cross delivered by Lucia Alves.
A lack of offensive efficiency despite the large victory
Returning from the locker room, the replacements of Le Sommer and Sara Däbritz by Melchie Dumornay and Damarris Egurolla energized OL’s game and Cascarino brought the score to 2-1 with a long shot which surprised Pauels.
The international, back for a few weeks from a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of a knee which had deprived her of the 2023 World Cup, but who hopes to be selected for the Olympic Games with the French team, was able to leave her place for Vicky Becho at the end of the match.
But apart from Delphine Cascarino’s double, OL once again sinned by their lack of offensive efficiency, despite two other goals from Kadidiatou Diani in added time.
