A goalless draw left OL Lyonnaise and Chelsea deadlocked at Groupama Stadium on Wednesday, capping an electrifying second‑round Champions League clash. Who will seize the advantage next?
Trailing Barcelona, the French champions share provisional second place with Benfica and Arsenal, after Lyon’s 30‑goal haul in four games was halted by a solid opponent that had upset Austria Vienna last week.
Chelsea, guided by former Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor and featuring ex‑Lyon players Ellie Carpenter, Lucy Bronze, Melvine Malard and Kadeisha Buchanan, dominated possession at 53.7% but rarely threatened. In my view, their control lacked the cutting edge needed to win.
Penalty denied, goal disallowed
Defensively, OL Lyonnaise stood firm. Though often on the back foot, the French champions created chances and could have taken the lead if not for narrow misses, despite outshooting the English side 4‑2. Keeper Hannah Hampton saved Selma Parraluelo’s 20th‑minute strike and a close attempt from Melchie Dumornay in the 23rd. Marie‑Antoinette Katoto was denied at the line by Veerle Buurman (24’) and Bronze (60’), while Selma Bacha’s free‑kick clipped the post (28’). After halftime, Parraluelo thought she’d scored, but an off‑side call nullified it (72’).
Conversely, early in the final quarter the Lyonnaise faced a scare when a penalty was overturned after video review for an alleged foul by Damaris Egurrola on Lauren James (75’). In the dying minutes James nearly gave Chelsea the lead, but her shot after a back‑heel cross was saved by Maria‑Luisa Grohs (87’), who later watched Maïka Hamano’s rebound skim the post in added time (90+8’). In stoppage, Ada Hegerberg headed in after Lily Yohannes’ deep pass, forcing Hampton into a difficult save.