Lyon outclass Bayern with 4-1 win to reach Women’s Champions League semifinals

Lyon outclass Bayern with 4-1 win to reach Women’s Champions League semifinals
Lyon’s players celebrate after scoring their first goal during their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter final second leg match against FC Bayern Munich at the OL Stadium in Decines-Charpieu, central-eastern France, on Mar. 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 27 March 2025

Lyon outclass Bayern with 4-1 win to reach Women’s Champions League semifinals

Lyon outclass Bayern with 4-1 win to reach Women’s Champions League semifinals
  • Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate
  • Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining their comeback hopes

LYON: Kadidiatou Diani scored one goal and set up two more as Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
The French powerhouse needed a wake-up call before reaching the semifinals for the 13th time. Klara Bühl opened the scoring in the 33rd minute off the far post to claw a goal back for Bayern after losing the first leg 2-0 in Munich.
Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate with Diani scoring and setting up goals for Melchie Dumornay and Tabitha Chawinga, who both scored in Munich last week.
Dumornay played in Ada Hegerberg to seal the rout with a flourish by shooting the ball between Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa “Mala” Grohs’ legs in stoppage time.
Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining their comeback hopes.
Diani was given two opportunities to cross the ball for Dumornay to equalize on the night, then Bayern star Giulia Gwinn inadvertently set up Diani to score in the 54th.
It was the third blow for Bayern in quick succession with forward Jovana Damnjanovic going off with an apparent rib injury.
The fourth blow came shortly afterward with Diana crossing for Chawinga to score Lyon’s third goal on the hour-mark. The French league champion missed further chances to score before Hegerberg made the last one count.
Lyon will face either Real Madrid or Arsenal in the semifinals. They were contesting the second leg of their quarterfinal in London later, with the Spanish team 2-0 up from the first leg in Madrid last week.
Arsenal made a promising start without scoring while Madrid began threatening toward the end of the first half in the second leg.
The other quarterfinal second legs are scheduled for Thursday, with defending champion Barcelona in a comfortable position after a 4-1 win over Wolfsburg in Germany, and Chelsea needing goals as they host Manchester City after losing the first leg 2-0.
Barcelona defeated Lyon in last year’s final.


Pakistan elect to bowl first against South Africa in 1st ODI

Pakistan elect to bowl first against South Africa in 1st ODI
Updated 6 sec ago

Pakistan elect to bowl first against South Africa in 1st ODI

Pakistan elect to bowl first against South Africa in 1st ODI
  • South Africa’s top order is boosted by the return of opening batter Quinton de Kock, who reversed his ODI retirement last month
  • Pakistan has included wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan in the playing XI after sacking him from the ODI captaincy last month

FAISALABAD: Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and elected to field against South Africa in their one-day international series opener on Tuesday.

An under-strength South Africa, without captain Temba Bavuma and seven front-line white-ball players, awarded ODI debuts to batters Sinethemba Qeshile and Lhuan-dre Pretorius along with allrounder Donovan Ferreira.

South Africa’s top order is boosted by the return of opening batter Quinton de Kock, who reversed his ODI retirement last month.

Pakistan has included wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan in the playing XI after sacking him from the ODI captaincy last month. Fakhar Zaman also returns after skipping the preceding Twenty20 series against the Proteas which Pakistan won 2-1.

Pakistan has opted to go with specialist spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed. Salman Ali Agha was another spin option.

Faisalabad is staging international cricket for the first time in 17 years and also hosts the other ODIs on Thursday and Saturday.

LINEUPS

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (captain), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams