OL Lyonnes and Chelsea drew 0-0 at the Groupama Stadium on Wednesday in a significant match of the second round of the Women's Champions League. Both teams, considered potential winners, delivered a strong performance that intensified towards the end.
Barcelona leads the group. Lyon and Chelsea share second place with Benfica and Arsenal, who drew 2-2 against Paris FC earlier. Lyon, top of the French league and winner of their first Champions League match 8-0 against Servette Genève, was contained by a skilled Chelsea side. Chelsea had previously beaten Austria Wien 1-0.
Chelsea, managed by former Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor and featuring ex-Lyon players Ellie Carpenter, Lucy Bronze, Melvine Malard, and Kadeisha Buchanan, largely controlled the game. They held more possession (53.7%) but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities.
Disallowed Goal, VAR Check
OL Lyonnes showed defensive solidity. Despite being under pressure, the French champions had effective attacking plays and could have taken the lead had their final passes been more accurate. They had more shots on target than the English team (4 vs 2). Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton made saves from Selma Parraluelo (20th minute) and Melchie Dumornay's shot narrowly missed the target (23rd). Marie-Antoinette Katoto's attempts were blocked by Veerle Buurman (24th) and then by Bronze (60th), while Selma Bacha’s free-kick went just wide (28th). After halftime, Parraluelo appeared to score, but the referee disallowed it for offside after VAR review (72nd).
Chelsea created a scare for Lyon late in the game. A penalty, initially awarded for a supposed foul by Damaris Egurrola on Lauren James, was overturned after VAR review (75th). In the final minutes, James came close to scoring but her shot was saved by goalkeeper Maria-Luisa Grohs (87th). In added time, Maïka Hamano’s shot hit the post (90+8th). Earlier, Ada Hegerberg's header from a cross forced a difficult save from Hampton (90th).
