Key events
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Lyon (Diani, 16)
Kadidiatou Diani breaks the deadlock! The Lyon forward latches onto a through ball and races away on the right. Allowed too much space, the France international arrows the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.
After a VAR check for offside, the goal stands.
12 min: Arsenal are trying to find their rhythm. They’ve already had a couple of warning signs from Bacha and van de Donk.
5 min: Selma Bacha has her first sight of goal. She lets it fly from about 25 yards out, forcing Manuela Zinsberger to make a smart save down to her left. Zinsberger can only parry it away to Daniëlle van de Donk but the former Arsenal player hits it wide.
2 min: The atmosphere is electric at the Emirates. Arsenal, who are used to attracting anything between 30,000 and 60,000 fans, have a similar level of support today.
Kick off
Arsenal get us under way kicking the ball from left to right.
The players are making their way to the pitch. The stage is set for a mouthwatering encounter.
Here’s a message from Andrew Fynn:
“Is this an epochal year for Arsenal? How much talk in the team, I wonder, has there been of that hallowed phrase … Double Champions League Winners 2025?”
It may be a bit early for that but Arsenal fans can surely dream.
Some pre-match reading for you …
The teams
Arsenal: Zinsberger, Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe, Little, Caldentey, Maanum, Mead, Russo, Foord. Substitutes: Williams, Ilestedt, Reid, Nighswonger, Walti, Cooney-Cross, Pelova, Kafaji, Kelly, Blackstenius.
Lyon: Endler, Carpenter, Gilles, Sombath, Bacha, Horan,Egurrola, Van de Donk, Diani, Dumornay, Chawinga. Substitutes: Benkarth, Huerta, Renard, Junttila-Nelhage, Majri, Dabritz, Le Sommer, Marozsan, Hegerberg, Svava, Becho, Tarciane Karen.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to minute-by-minute coverage of the Women’s Champions League semi-final clash between Arsenal and Lyon.
Arsenal welcome Joe Montemurro back to the Emirates after his stint at the club from 2017 to 2021. There’s further familiarity between Montemurro and the current Arsenal manager Renée Slegers – Montemurro was paired with Slegers on the 2019-21 Uefa coach mentor programme. Slegers, who has guided Arsenal to 22 wins in her 27 games in charge, will be keen to show her mentor what she has learned. The home side are seeking to emulate their 5-1 victory over Lyon in the 2022-23 group stage.
Meanwhile, serial winners Lyon are aiming to move a step closer to winning a record extending ninth Champions League title. They’re in good form, having dispatched Bayern Munich 6-1 on aggregate in their quarter-final. Montemurro’s side have only lost once all season and boast an elite strikeforce, including Kadidiatou Diani, Ada Hegerberg and Melchie Dumornay. Arsenal will need to keep them quiet to have a chance of going through.
Kick-off is at 12.30pm BST. Email me with your thoughts.
