Dream, fight, suffer and learn. These are some of the keywords of Benfica’s visit to Lyon, counting for the second leg of the women’s Champions League quarterfinals (4-1). After the 1-2 defeat at Estádio da Luz, a week ago, Filipa Patão bet on midfielder Catarina Amado and striker Davidson, to the detriment of Andrea Falcón and Nycole Raysla, who were injured at the start of the round.
In a match initially dominated by the hosts, Le Sommer accumulated wasted opportunities, with emphasis on the missed shot at 13m. After a pass from Diani, who had accelerated down the right, the striker was unable to open the scoring.
Until the half-hour mark, Benfica only threatened to score after the 28th minute, when Lúcia Alves appeared in the area, but, as she headed the ball, she was hit by Endler, who had left between the posts. In view of the protests, the video referee reviewed the move and cleared the guardian of any foul.
While Benfica was freeing itself from the opposing pressure and its own anxiety, Laís Araújo – until then, along with Ucheibe and Pauels, leader of the defense – made a capital error, decisive for the outcome of the tie, at 43m. The poorly measured delay for Pauels allowed Le Sommer to intercept the pass, give up scoring and serve Cascarino. Still outside the area, the French midfielder played an unstoppable hat.
Despite the setback, Benfica’s response was encouraging. Perfect, even. Kika Nazareth’s immense genius allowed the Portuguese international to find Lúcia Alves on the right, tearing through the defense. Alone in the area, the forward served Alidou, who restored equality.
45 minutes had passed when Filipa Patão’s team reached 34 goals in the competition, consolidating their position as the best attack. For the second half, a new defensive response was required – especially because Laís’ error was an exception – and greater cohesion when counterattacking.
Review the story of this game here.
Lyon controls and gives tips for the future
When the match resumed, the balance was broken by Cascarino, at the first opportunity, at 52m. Driving through the front zone, the Frenchwoman found herself isolated at the gates of Benfica’s area. As such, he sharpened his aim and delivered an almost impossible shot to Pauels. Cascarino was the supreme executioner of Patão’s team in this round, as the Frenchwoman accumulated three goals in the two games.
When Benfica prepared a new response, Bompastor’s men closed the paths of the defensive midfield, fixed positions in attack and «bombarded» Pauels’ goal. Between stops by the guardian and waste from the French, Diani ruled the match at 90+1m.
At this stage, Filipa Patão had already bet on Jéssica Silva (57m), as well as Falcón and Andreia Norton (84m). However, the risk had no effect, as the three-time national champions were hampered, as in the beginning, by their own anxiety, more than by fatigue.
On the other hand, Lyon did not spare itself and – in a message to the competition – Diani benefited from a poorly judged clearance by Amado to score twice in the match.
The outcome of the match (4-1) and the aggregate (5-2) do not reflect the balance that marked the 180 minutes of this tie. In any case, the failure allows Filipa Patão and Benfica to discover new ways to support the strengthening of the project.
See the best images from this match in the associated gallery.
After the historic Champions League campaign, Benfica focuses its attention on the Portuguese Cup semi-final. On Sunday, at 6:15 pm, the Eagles face Sporting. In the other game, Sp. Braga hosts Racing Power, this Thursday, at 3pm.
In turn, Lyon – leader of the French League and maximum winners of the women’s Champions League (8) – awaits an opponent in the semi-finals, which will result from the clash between Hacken and PSG.
ELEVEN IMAGES ON DAZN
Tags: Womens Champions defensive distraction paves Lyon eliminate Benfica
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