Paris Saint-Germain 1-2 Lyon (agg: 3-5): record winners reach 11th final

Lyon are through to the UEFA Women's Champions League final for an 11th time, securing a showdown with Barcelona after goals from Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay earned them a 2-1 win and 5-3 aggregate success away against Paris Saint-Germain.

Match in brief: Lyon experience tells in tight tie

After a sensational late comeback to turn the first leg around, Lyon gave themselves a measure of comfort by establishing an early 4-2 lead on aggregate in the French capital.

Selma Bacha collected Melchie Demornay's pass as part of a corner routine, taking aim from outside the penalty area to fizz in a low drive that beat Constance Picaud at the goalkeeper's near post.

Selma Bacha makes the breakthrough in the second leg of the all-French semi-finalAFP via Getty Images

Paris dominated first-half possession, but Lyon had three of the four attempts on target, Picaud responding at lightning speed to turn a ricochet behind at her near post.

With a forward of Tabitha Chawinga's prowess in attack, one accurate shot proved all the hosts needed to level in front of their passionate fans. Marie-Antoinette Katoto seized upon possession just beyond the halfway line, turned smartly and released the Malawian international, who entered the penalty area and fired a precise low finish into the far corner of the net.

Tabitha Chawinga gives Paris hope with a finish as fierce as it was preciseAFP via Getty Images

The goal gave Jocelyn Prêcheur's side momentum at the break, only for Lyon's vast experience to show during the second half as the eight-time champions absorbed pockets of pressure before increasing their advantage late on.

Picaud had used her legs to stop Dumornay's low strike from arrowing in shortly after the interval, but there was little she could do when Amel Majri's deft touch as part of a slick move set up the Haiti midfielder to coolly slot in Lyon's second of the afternoon with nine minutes remaining.

Dumornay's goal meant Lyon won this all-French tie by exactly the same scorelines and in the same order home and away as they did in the 2021/22 semi-finals. Sonia Bompastor's players went on to beat Barcelona in the final in her first season in charge – and their task now is to repeat the trick.

Visa Player of the Match: Melchie Dumornay (Lyon)

"Highly effective in both phases of play, she helped with creating trouble for Paris in the press and was a constant outlet going forward, both with her timing to come short to receive the ball and with her runs between defenders. She showed her ability to accelerate past opponents and her technique in one-on-one situations, as well as her patience and calm in front of goal. Lyon's second goal was thanks to her timing and ability to rush into space with the ball."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Alex Clementson, match reporter

And that's why Lyon are eight-time champions! Experience has proven essential once again. Lyon can't have hoped for a more polished performance. It wasn't always pretty, nor were they at their scintillating best – but their efficiency was masterful. They've navigated this difficult task expertly and head to a deserved 11th final. As for Paris, they can hold their head high after a spirited and determined performance.

Reaction

Sonia Bompastor, Lyon coach: "A lot of joy. They were two very difficult games. We knew that would be the case: this is a Paris side that has produced two good performances. There wasn't much in it, but I need to congratulate my players. We were able to bounce back and win in Lyon, and come here and win too. It's going to be a great final."

Jocelyn Prêcheur, Paris coach: "We really had the urge and desire to get a different result from this game, but we have to move forward. We've got games in other competitions coming up. We'll get over this disappointment quickly and concentrate on the end of the season."

Melchie Dumornay, Lyon midfielder: "We're very happy. We told ourselves that we had to start this match strongly and we followed our coach's orders. We wanted to do better than we did at home. We're very happy to have qualified for the final. I'm super-happy as it's going to be my first Champions League final. I feel very honoured to be part of this team and I hope we can do the best we can."

Lindsey Horan, Lyon midfielder: "It means everything. We've worked so hard this past year to get back to this point. Going into this season, we knew this was a goal of ours. That's the standard this club sets. I'm so proud of this team. After going 2-0 down in the first leg and conceding another today, it shows who we are, the belief we have in this team and what we can show on the pitch."

Grace Geyoro, Paris captain: "Disappointed, first and foremost. We wanted to qualify for the final and we did everything we could to do so. It didn't go in our favour today, but we have to bounce back. We started the first leg well but then we lost. Today we started with a one-goal deficit, so we knew it was going to be difficult. This will help us in the long run, and we can feed off that going forward."

Sonia Bompastor has won the title twice as a player and once as a coach with LyonAFP via Getty Images

Key stats

• Lyon have won 11 Women’s Champions League semi-final ties in a row since losing their first two in 2007/08 and 2008/09.
• OL have won each of their past four Women’s Champions League semi-final ties against Paris, having previously downed their domestic rivals at this stage in 2015/16, 2019/20 and 2021/22.
• They are unbeaten in five trips to Paris in the competition and went on to lift the trophy after each of those semi-final wins against the capital side.
• Nine games in Lyon's current 11-match unbeaten Champions League run have ended in victory.
• Bacha scored her first Lyon goal since December 2022 and her first in the Champions League since netting away to Ajax on 17 October 2018.
• Paris had the distinction of being the only one of the four semi-finalists this season to have started their campaign before the group stage. They began the competition in qualifying round two with a 4-2 aggregate victory vs Manchester United (D1-1 a, W3-1 h).

Line-ups

Paris: Picaud; Le Guilly (Vangsgaard 73), Gaetino, De Almeida, Karchaoui; Geyoro, Groenen (Albert 84), Samoura; Baltimore (Martens 84), Katoto, Chawinga

Lyon: Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha (Morroni 90); Horan, Egurrola, Van de Donk; Diani (Becho 74), Dumornay, Cascarino (Majri 46)