Olympique Lyonnais Put On A Show In Prague

Winner of 6 of the last 8 editions, Lyon is one of the big favorites for this 2023-2024 Champions League and is the team to beat in group B. On paper, a trip to Prague was presenting itself as a formality.

And it sure did. Lyon put on an attacking demonstration in Prague. Very serious and ultra-efficient, Bompastor’s players put X past Slavia Prague’s goalkeeper Lukasova.

Since their “glory days” in the Women’s Champions League between 2016 and 2019, which saw them reach three quarter-finals in 4 years, the double reigning champion of the Czech Republic, Slavia Prague, is struggling to perform on the European stage.

On paper, Slavia should have been the toughest opponent for OL in this group.

However, the team did not show up, or couldn’t show up, overwhelmed by an OL who had chosen to secure the 3 points as soon as possible.

The differences, both on an individual and collective level, were too big between France’s champions and the hosts.

For this opening match of the 2023/2024 Champions League campaign, Sonia Bompastor opted for the same attacking trio that started against Paris FC. Ada Hegerberg, Eugénie Le Sommer, and Kadidiatou Diani did not take long to get going.

After a nicely played one-two play on the left side, Perle Morroni served Sara Däbritz. With her right foot, the German put the Fenottes on the right track and the rest was nothing short of a festival.

One wonders if OL didn’t score every time they tried their luck. Out of 8 shots on target in the first period, the Lyonnaises found the net on 6 occasions.

After only 24 minutes of play, 5 different players were already on the scoresheet. Following in Däbritz’s footsteps, Van de Donk (13’) and Gilles (16’) took advantage of Hegerberg’s “clumsiness” to delight the few Lyon supporters who made the trip to Prague. Le Sommer (20’) and Diani (24’) also scored. Wendie Renard gave Prague the KO before the half-time break (6-0, 45th).

Eight Different Scorers

The match’s easy lead offered Bompastor the opportunity to rotate the squad. Majri and Becho were introduced at half-time.

At the hour mark, the five changes had already been made, including playing time for Marozsan and Sombath.

Slavia may have wanted to come back with better intentions, but the gap between the team teams was too big. Hegerberg took advantage of a whistled penalty to join the festival (0-7, 60’).

Two minutes later, Majri (62’) was found by Danielle Van de Donk to score Lyon’s goal #8. And with a doublé by Vanessa Gilles, the evening could not have ended any better.

Match Highlights

3’: Sara Däbritz. Lyon’s first shot is the right one. Superb movement on the left with Morroni perfectly shifted to his side. Lucid, she sends a perfect back cross towards Däbritz who throws himself to score by tackling. Slavia will have cracked very quickly (0-1).

14’: Danielle Van de Donk. Another perfect work on the right flank from Diani, who crosses for Hegerberg. The Norwegian is blocked but the ball ends up at the feet of Van de Donk, who puts the ball past Lukasova (0-2).

16′: Vanessa Gilles. A corner hit by Le Sommer, Hegerberg wins in the air at the far post but Lukasova makes a first save, but unfortunately, the ball reaches Gilles who scores with a header (0-3).

21′ : Eugénie Le Sommer made it 4-0! Launched on the right by Diani, Van de Donk sends a perfectly powerful cross to the far post for Le Sommer. Lyon’s all-time top scorer scores with her head to open her European tally this year (0-4).

24′: Kadidiatou Diani. Another cross, another goal for OL! This time, the cross is from Morroni and it is Diani who wins it in the air at the far post (0-5).

45′: Wendie Renard. The corner is perfectly executed by Le Sommer, again. This time, Renard appeared above everyone in the box to net the ball home (0-6).

60’: Ada Hegerberg contributed at last! From the penalty spot, the Norwegian scored her team’s seventh (0-7).

62’: Danielle Van de Donk finds the substitute Amel Majri who scores with her left foot (0-8).

80’: Vanessa Gilles confirms what was already known. She loves scoring headers. The Canadian Olympian adds her second of the night following Marozsan’s corner (0-9).

Olympique Lyonnais Starting Eleven

Endler – Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Morroni – Horan, Van de Donk, Dabritz – Diani, Hegerberg, Le Sommer.

Slavia Prague Starting Eleven

Lukasova – Vesela, Keene, Bartovicova, Xiao – Stackpole, Sumoska, Cerna, Mc Laughlin, Khyrova – Ruzickova.

Facts

• Slavia Prague last conceded 5 goals in the same match in the Champions League in 2019-2020.
• Present during each of OL’s 8 triumphs, Wendie Renard is the most capped player in the Women’s Champions League. She played today her 111th match with Lyon in the competition.
• Ada Hegerberg scored her goal #60 in the Women’s Champions League. She is the competition’s leading all-time goal scorer.
• In the other match of this group B, Brann (Norway) defeated the Austrians from St Pölten (1-2).
• In Group A, Frankfurt won in Sweden against Rosengard (1-2) and Barcelona easily defeated by 5 goals to 1.

This first easily-handled match is not the test that will prove whether Lyon has what it takes to win this year’s edition… but Renard’s teammates could not have dreamed of a better start.