Wasteful Arsenal punished by Lyon's moment of class

It was the burst of light to silence the noise of the Emirates.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Arsenal had Lyon on the ropes, clawing themselves level at last through Mariona Caldentey’s penalty after subjecting the eighttime Women’s Champions League winners to an onslaught of pressure. A 1-1 draw to take into the semi-final second leg would have felt deserved and, if anything, Arsenal would have come away regretting their missed chances against the French champions. “We felt like we could have scored another one,” said Renee Slegers.

But, thanks to the sensational Melchie Dumornay, Arsenal require another comeback if they are to reach their first Champions League final since 2007. The dramatic late intervention from the best young player in the world came four minutes after Caldentey’s equaliser and was the sucker-punch Arsenal did not see coming. For Dumornay, the 21-year-old Haitian star, her surging run between Emily Fox and Steph Catley and finish over Manuela Zinsberger was the moment she properly announced her arrival on the European stage.

Dumornay had troubled English opposition before, lighting up Haiti’s World Cup defeat to the Lionesses in Brisbane, and had signalled her threat and talent in the first half with an audacious chip from 35 yards that crashed against the bar. The forward still came away with the decisive moment, in what was Lyon’s only shot at the Arsenal goal in the second half. But Lyon’s danger lingered under the surface; they showed they could strike in seconds with Kadi Diani’s first-half opener and Dumornay’s winner. “It’s very high-level opposition,” Slegers said. “You get punished if you make mistakes.”