Jule Brand Sends OL Lyonnes Past Arsenal 3-1 in Arsenal Fixtures

Jule Brand’s late goal sent OL Lyonnes past Arsenal 3-1 in the second leg, and 4-3 on aggregate, in the Women’s Champions League semi-final. The result ended Arsenal’s title defence and pushed Lyonnes into their 12th European final, with Oslo set to host the showpiece on 23 May.

Brand’s late VAR decision

Brand scored after a three-minute VAR check, with the goal first ruled out for offside before it was awarded. That turned a tense finish into the decisive moment of the tie, and it came after Arsenal had already been forced to chase the game through a night of narrow margins.

Arsenal had Stina Blackstenius hit the woodwork before the offside flag went up, and Olivia Smith struck the base of the post later in the match. Those chances sat in sharp contrast to Lyonnes, who made their key openings count when the tie was still live.

Renard, Diani and Russo

Wendie Renard opened the scoring for OL Lyonnes from a penalty after a retake was ordered when Daphne van Domselaar stepped off her line too early. Kadidiatou Diani added the second, and Alessia Russo replied for Arsenal, but Brand’s finish settled the semi-final and left the visitors with too much to recover.

Jonatan Giráldez said Lyonnes deserved the win. Renée Slegers gave a blunt assessment of Arsenal’s exit, saying, "Lyon raised their levels. They came out really strong. They had Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay back in the side, who are world-class players."

Arsenal’s title defence ends

Slegers also said, "They were really effective in certain moments. It was a very tight game, small margins – very disappointing for us." She added, "They were the better team. It’s disappointment at the moment because we were so close".

For Arsenal, the semi-final stopped a title defence that had been built on a run to this stage, but Lyonnes kept their own record moving. The eight-time European champions will go to Oslo on 23 May chasing a 12th European final, with the winner of Barcelona or Bayern Munich to follow on the other side of the bracket.