Jule Brand scored a dramatic late winner as Olympique Lyonnais defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the second leg of their Women's Champions League semi-final, securing a 4-3 aggregate victory and a place in the final. The goal, initially ruled out for offside, was awarded after a three-minute VAR check, sparking celebrations among the home fans.
Lyon dominated the first half, with Melchie Dumornay and Kadidiatou Diani causing constant problems. Wendie Renard opened the scoring from a retaken penalty after Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy fouled Dumornay. Diani then doubled the lead, heading in a Brand cross to put Lyon 2-0 up on the night.
Arsenal fought back in the second half, with substitute Alessia Russo scoring her ninth Champions League goal of the season to level the tie on aggregate. However, Brand's late strike, set up by Dumornay, sealed the win for the eight-time European champions.
Arsenal manager Renée Slegers admitted Lyon were the better team. 'They raised their levels. They came out really strong,' she said. 'It was a very tight game, small margins – very disappointing for us.'
Lyon will face either Barcelona or Bayern Munich in the final on 23 May in Oslo. Coach Jonatan Giráldez praised his team's performance: 'Losing the first leg was tough, but the important thing was to bounce back. We played great football and we deserved the win.'
