STOCKHOLM: OL Lyonnes winger Jule Brand struck late in a thrilling 3-1 win over holder Arsenal to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory and book a place in the Women’s Champions League final.
Eight-time champion Lyon will face either Barcelona or Bayern Munich, which plays the second leg in Spain on Sunday after a 1-1 draw last week.
Lyon started strongly and had an early goal from a set-piece ruled out, but took the lead when Melchie Dumornay was brought down in the box by defender Lotte Wubben-Moy, with a penalty awarded after a VAR review.
Wendie Renard scored from the spot at the second attempt after goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar moved off her line to save the initial effort.
Kadidiatou Diani doubled the lead nine minutes before the break, hooking home at the back post from a corner as Lyon moved 3-2 ahead on aggregate.
Arsenal, which had shown little of the intensity that helped it secure a 2-1 win in the first leg, levelled in the 76th minute through Alessia Russo, who got between two defenders to convert Smilla Holmberg’s cross.
The game looked set for extra time until Brand latched onto a pass from Dumornay and scored with a deft left-foot finish in the 86th minute to send Lyon into its 12th Champions League final. Agencies
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