Paris beat Lyon to join Bayern, Chelsea and Barcelona in semi-finals
Sunday 18 April 2021
Article summary
Paris ended Lyon's five-year reign to set up a semi-final with Barcelona; Bayern and Chelsea won the other last-eight ties.
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Paris Saint-Germain completed the UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final line-up after knocking out holders Lyon in their delayed last-eight second leg.
Lyon were defending a 1-0 lead from their away first leg but Paris turned the tables 2-1 to set up a tie with Barcelona, whose own 2-1 loss at Manchester City on 31 March was not enough to overturn their 3-0 home success the previous week. Bayern München will take on Chelsea in the other last-four tie; a 1-0 win in Sweden for the German side on 1 April completed a 4-0 aggregate quarter-final success against Rosengård; the day before Chelsea's 3-0 win against Wolfsburg made it 5-1 over the two legs.
The semi-finals are over the next two Sundays with the decider in Gothenburg on 16 May to crown the first new champions other than Lyon since Frankfurt in 2015.
Road to Gothenburg
Semi-final draw (25 April & 2 May)
1: Paris vs Barcelona
2: Bayern vs Chelsea
Final (16 May: Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg)
Bayern/Chelsea vs Paris/Barcelona
Second legs
Sunday 18 April
Lyon 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain (agg: 2-2, Paris win on away goals)
Lyon's five-year reign as European champions is over after domestic rivals Paris pulled off a sensational comeback. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, OL looked even more comfortable after surprise starter Catarina Macario doubled their advantage within the opening four minutes, finishing from close range after Delphine Cascarino had surged down the left.
However, Paris reacted with defiance, spurning several chances before Grace Geyoro fired in an excellent effort from wide on the right. They continued to press and a second-half own goal from Wendie Renard – who got the winner both in the first leg and in last year's semi-final between the teams – ultimately ended Lyon's hopes of a sixth consecutive European title, 1,788 days after their continental supremacy had begun.
Thursday 1 April
Rosengård 0-1 Bayern München (agg: 0-4)
Bayern eased past Rosengård to book their place in the semi-finals for a second time – previously reaching the final four in 2018/19. Lea Schüller opened the scoring in a lively first half, heading in from Linda Dallmann’s left-sided delivery inside 22 minutes.
Bayern gradually took charge, but in the 37th minute, Olivia Schough engineered Rosengård's best chance of the match. Clipping beyond Hanna Glas, and with only Laura Benkarth to beat, her final effort could only warm the hands of the Bayern custodian. Rosengård pushed for a goal in a tireless performance, but decent opportunities were few against the well-organised German side, who recorded their 26th consecutive win in all competitions to progress.
Wednesday 31 March
Wolfsburg 0-3 Chelsea (agg: 1-5) (played in Budapest)
Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder had both scored for Chelsea in the first leg at Szusza Ferenc Stadion, and they returned there seven days on to eliminate the two-time champions. Wolfsburg began with high hopes of eliminating the Blues for the fourth time in as many attempts, but on 27 minutes Kerr was fouled in the box by Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh, allowing Harder to convert from the spot and strike again against her old club.
Five minutes later, Kerr worked herself a fine chance and finished her 20th goal of the campaign. There was no way back for last season's runners-up and, late on, Fran Kirby sealed Wolfsburg's heaviest European aggregate defeat and their first elimination by any team other than Lyon since 2015.
Manchester City 2-1 Barcelona (agg: 2-4)
The Spanish champions held off a concerted comeback effort in England to book their place in the semi-finals for the third season running. Trailing 3-0 after last week's quarter-final opener, City hopes of a famous fightback were raised when Janine Beckie found the net inside 20 minutes.
They pushed hard for another and the game opened up until Asisat Oshoala, earlier denied by a remarkable Lucy Bronze block, pretty much killed off City before the hour. Samantha Mewis at least converted a penalty to ensure they exited the competition on a high, and manager Gareth Taylor conceded: "We left everything out there; Barcelona were too strong."
First-leg results
Barcelona 3-0 Manchester City (played in Monza)
The 2019 runners-up have one foot in the semi-finals after a convincing win in Italy. Lluís Cortés's team dominated possession from the off and, though the outstanding Ellie Roebuck initially kept them a bay, the pressure told ten minutes before the interval via a superb shot form Asisat Oshoala.
Mariona Caldentey's penalty doubled Barcelona's lead soon after the restart, and hopes of a City comeback were dented when Chloe Kelly's powerful spot kick was brilliantly saved by Sandra Paños. Substitute Jenni Hermoso added a late third to leave Barcelona firmly in the driving seat.
Chelsea 2-1 Wolfsburg (played in Budapest)
Pernille Harder scored against her old club but Dominique Janssen's penalty gave a mostly dominant Wolfsburg hope for the return. With the score at 0-0, Wolfsburg's Alex Popp and Ewa Pajor hit the woodwork and Chelsea's German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made several close-range saves.
However, on 55 minutes it was Chelsea who went ahead, Fran Kirby setting up Sam Kerr to finish from a tight angle. Harder struck in the 66th minute after the ball was worked right by Kirby and Kerr, but Wolfsburg soon had their away goal, the excellent Svenja Huth fouled by Magdalena Eriksson, inviting Janssen to make no mistake from the spot.
Paris were left ruing missed chances after Wendie Renard's 86th-minute penalty gave holders Lyon what could prove a crucial lead against their French rivals. Nikita Parris had tested Christiane Endler early on but Paris responded well at the Parc des Princes, pressing their opponents and forcing Sarah Bouhaddi into a string of saves.
Lyon upped their tempo after the break and Endler again denied Parris as a far more even second half unfolded – but the goal still came out of the blue as Renard, who headed the semi-final winner against Paris last season, converted following a handball from Formiga, who still set records by playing in this tie at the age of 43.
Bayern bore the weight of being the favourites well, taking an early lead through Linda Dallmann, her third in the competition this season. Sweden's Rosengård, aiming to reach the final in their home nation, rallied quickly but were kept at bay by Bayern's tight defence, and crisp, precise passes served to undo the guests as a fine finish from Klara Bühl made it 2-0 on 28 minutes.
Bayern kept up the pressure after the break, and were ultimately rewarded as Lineth Beerensteyn stabbed home the rebound from her own shot to make it 3-0, the win extending her side's run to 24 successive wins in all competitions.