A calamitous defence error from the goalkeeper Christiane Endler helped defending champions Arsenal to come from behind against OL Lyonnes and ensure they take a narrow lead into next week’s Champions League semi-final second leg in France.
Jule Brand had giving the visiting team, the record eight-time winners of this competition, a first-half lead in front of 26,758 fans at the Emirates Stadium. However, first Endler fumbled the ball into her own net via a deflection off Ingrid Engen as the Gunners upped the pressure in the second half before Olivia Smith gave them the lead late after another defensive mistake.
Renée Slegers may have insisted that “last year was last year, this year is this year” as Arsenal prepared to play Lyonnes at the semi-final stage for a second successive season, but the first half of this encounter felt decidedly familiar.
The Gunners were bright in north London, easing through an early spell of pressure from the rampant visitors, who are unbeaten in the Premier Ligue, having scored 72 and conceded just nine times. They are a different beast under former Barcelona and Washington Spirit manager Jonatan Giráldez, a more coherent and together one.
They also proved the more clinical of the two teams in the first half, Germany international Brand delivered the opener that put the Gunners into the recognisable territory of needing to come from behind in the knockout stages of the competition they battled to the end in last season. It was a poor goal for the home team to concede, Caitlin Foord’s pass was underhit, with the Australian forward under pressure in her own half, and Lyonnes worked the ball to Brand who eased past Kim Little and fired in.
The Gunners needed to be patient but there was frustration that they could not capitalise in the final third and at the lack of a single yellow card shown for repeated fouls on the livewire Smith.
Their best chance of the half fell to Foord, whose effort from the right didn’t have enough spin on it to loop in and was a little too ahead of Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius as it dipped down in front of the far post.
Quick GuideWomen's Champions League: Bayern 1-1 Barcelona
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Franziska Kett went from hero to villain as Bayern Munich fought back to ensure they will travel to Barcelona for the decisive leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final all square.
Kett cancelled out Ewa Pajor’s first-half opener at the Allianz Arena, but was then shown a red card for pulling Salma Paralluelo’s hair (pictured) as a hard-fought first leg ended 1-1 with Bayern having to survive a late onslaught.
Barcelona were ahead with just eight minutes on the clock when Pajor met Esmee Brugts’ cross with a deft touch to guide the ball past keeper Ena Mahmutovic, although it took a fine save from Cata Coll to keep out Kett’s curling attempt three minutes before the break.
Brugts was denied a second for the visitors by a post and Patri Guijarro had a header cleared off the goal-line before Clàudia Pina’s follow-up was saved, but the hosts were back on terms with 69 minutes gone when Kett beat Coll.
Kett’s evening ended in disgrace with 11 minutes remaining and Mahmutovic had to be at her best to repel Mapi León’s piledriver at the end. PA Media
Photograph: Matthias Schräder/AP
Despite the scoreline, there was a lot to like about Arsenal’s play and they came out after the break a decidedly different team and well and truly on the hunt, the cobwebs of the international break shaken off. The crowd thought they were back in it five minutes into the half but Smith’s effort crashed into the side-netting and one minute later the referee awarded a penalty for a Wendie Renard foul on Little, but it was ruled out by the video assistant referee after a lengthy check with the French defender having got a touch on the ball.
The momentum was with the home team though and the crowd felt it, the noise rising with each attack. The goal came with a hefty dollop of luck but it was earned. Mariona Caldentey slipped her free-kick through the middle, ahead of Blackstenius but as Endler went to collect she fumbled the ball and turned it into her own net after a deflection off the centre-back Engen.
It was one-way traffic but the threat posed by the visiting team was always alive. When a Leah Williamson pass was cut out Kadidiatou Diani took full advantage of the error but under pressure from a recovering Emily Fox smacked her effort off the underside of the bar.
That was Williamson’s last action of the match. The England captain had started her first game for Arsenal since suffering a calf injury in mid-March. Left-back Taylor Hinds came on in her place and Katie McCabe moved inside.
It had felt like Arsenal would finish the game ruing the many missed opportunities to take the lead. Blackstenius’s cross across the face of goal was cut out but fell to Foord on the left. The forward escaped Renard and Ashley Lawrence but sent her close-range effort straight at Endler.
They had the advantage one minute later though, and it came via another defensive error. Engen miscontrolled a pass back to her from Lindsey Heaps and Smith was on her. The Canadian forward evaded the onrushing Endler and rolled the ball into the net.
The home side weathered some late pressure and could have increased their margin with the final kick of the match when Foord raced through one-on-one only to send her strike straight at Endler. They will be delighted with the win, but whether they will come to regret their profligacy will be seen next weekend.