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A) It’s really good.
B) It’s free.
C) It’s free.
D) This is a World Cup year, and the WCL is as good as ever and the 2022-23 WSL is turning into one of the great title races.
Half time: Chelsea 0-0 Lyon (agg: 1-0)
And after all that, it’s still 0-0. Both teams had terrific chances, but Signe Bruun wafted over and Sam Kerr was denied by the face of Christiane Endler. It’s been a high-quality game that has seesawed one way and then the other. See you in 15 minutes for the second half.
45 min Two minutes of added time.
44 min Not so impressive from James, a mishit daisy-cutter from 25 yards that dribbles wide.
43 min James absolutely flattens Renard, fairly, during a 50/50 challenge. Lauren James could become an incredible player; that’s Wendie Renard she’s just put on the canvas.
41 min Bacha’s free-kick from the right is well claimed by Berger. She started nervously, spilling an early shot from Cascarino, but since then she’s been immaculate.
39 min Carpenter’s very deep is volleyed wildly back across the area by Cascarino. It was a really difficult chance, in fairness. Carpenter’s crosses have been Lyon’s biggest threat tonight.
38 min Gilles does brilliantly to slide in and beat Kerr to James’s fierce low cross from the right.
35 min Lyon haven’t a clue how to defend against James once she gets up a head of steam. Van de Donk fouls her 40 yards from goal, but Chelsea make a mess of the free-kick.
32 min Horan curls wide from the edge of the area. This has been a game of subtle momentum shifts, and now it’s Lyon who are having a good spell.
31 min “I never understand the last line, so I always have to google,” says Joe Pearson. “It’s a lyric from ‘Jumbo’ by Underworld: ‘My thumb’s on a Tetris keyring.’”
Which I’ve never heard, though I am, or at least was, freakishly good at Tetris. Underworld are one of those bands I forgot to properly get into, despite the perfect gateway drug of Trainspotting. Mind you, one of life’s great pleasures is discovering old music, so it’s not too late.
29 min A lovely move from Lyon ends with Bruun hitting a chest-volley straight at Berger from about 12 yards. That was a pretty decent chance.
28 min Horan has stayed down after an aerial challenge with Leupolz. She looks in a fair bit of distress, though she’s on her feet now.
27 min Kerr’s movement is starting to trouble Lyon. She pulls off down the left, easing Gilles (possibly illegally) away from a long ball forward, then plays a sharp square pass to pick out Leupolz on the edge of the area. Leupolz takes a touch and then shoots over.
25 min Endler charges from her area and just beats Kerr to a long ball forward. This is a good spell for Chelsea.
24 min “Enjoying the match so far, but what put you in an Underworld mood earlier today?” says Joe Pearson. “Never heard them before today.”
Is that the last line on Football Daily? The desk editors usually add that – I just wrote the main bit of nonsense.
23 min: Fine save from Endler! Perisset takes a short corner on the left to James. She turns, beats two defenders with laughable else and blooters a rising drive from a tight angle that is acrobatically tipped over by Endler. Wonderful play from James.
20 min Bacha’s corner is met by Renard, whose header is blocked in the six-yard box. That leads to a second corner, which is headed wide under pressure by Gilles.
Chelsea are living dangerously here.
19 min Carpenter’s deep cross is headed back across goal by Horan towards Van de Donk, who has one shot blocked and then another. Lyon are getting so much joy down their right.
17 min In fact that Kerr shot hits Endler in the face, not the neck.
15 min: Huge chance for Kerr! Chelsea should be in front. James charges thrillingly at the Lyon defence and slips a perfect through pass towards Kerr, whose shot from the edge of the area hits the outrushing Endler in the neck. It was a brave save but Kerr should have done better.
14 min Carpenter’s deep cross is headed whence it came by Horan, who couldn’t quite get round the ball to direct the header towards goal.
13 min Chelsea have restored a bit of order after that poor start, though Lyon do still look dangerous, Majri and Cascarino in particular.
12 min Carter’s long throw leads to a game of head tennis before Kerr shins a volley off target. It was a really difficult chance on the half turn.
11 min Perisset’s corner is headed away at the near post.
10 min Reiten breaks down the left and wins a corner for Chelsea. I’m still trying to work out Chelsea’s shape. Perisset and Charles are on the right, Carter and Reiten on the left, but I’m not sure about the balance.
8 min Bacha’s long free-kick is claimed with authority by Berger. Chelsea needed a moment like that just to calm everything down.
8 min Cuthbert drives a long crossfield pass towards Kerr, who can’t control it on the edge of the Lyon area.
7 min This has been a really worrying start for Chelsea, who could already be two or three down.
5 min Another chance for Lyon, with Bruun volleying Carpenter’s cross over the bar! That was a much tougher chance, though once again Lyon got in down the Chelsea left.
4 min: An even bigger chance for Lyon! Cascarino’s lobbed cross is cleared poorly by Eriksson, straight to Bruun, but she leathers over the bar from 15 yards! What a chance!
3 min: Big chance for Lyon! Almost a nightmare start for Chelsea. Majri plays in the overlapping Cascarino, whose shot is spilled by Berger. That leads to an almighty scramble on the six-yard line before Chelsea eventually get the ball away.
2 min Some decent early possession for Chelsea down the Lyon left, though nothing particularly penetrative.
1 min Peep peep! Here we go, folks.
Wolfsburg held on to beat PSG 2-1 on aggregate, so they will face Arsenal in the semi-finals.
First up, a reminder of the teams
Chelsea (possible 3-4-3) Berger; Carter, Buchanan, Eriksson; Perisset, Leupolz, Cuthbert, Charles; James, Kerr, Reiten.
Substitutes: Musovic, Orman, Ingle, Fleming, Mjelde, Rytting Kaneryd, Abdullina, Cankovic.
Lyon (possible 4-1-3-2) Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha, Egurrola; Horan, Van de Donk, Majri; Cascarino, Bruun.
Substitutes: Belhadj, Bosse, Morroni, Dabritz, Le Sommer, Marozsan, Hegerberg, Sombath, Cayman, Benyahia, Becho, Malard.
Apologies, we’ve been having all kinds of technical problems. But it looks like they’ve been resolved in the nick of time. Let’s watch some football!
Pre-match entertainment
Team news: Bright ruled out
Bad news for Chelsea: Millie Bright, who injured her knee in last week’s first leg, hasn’t recovered in time for tonight’s game. But there’s much better news for Lyon: Ada Hegerberg is fit enough to start on the bench.
Lyon Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha, Egurrola, Horan, Van de Donk, Majri, D Cascarino, Bruun.
Substitutes: Belhadj, Bosse, Morroni, Dabritz, Le Sommer, Marozsan, Hegerberg, Sombath, Cayman, Benyahia, Becho, Malard.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of a huge European night at Stamford Bridge: Chelsea v Lyon, for the right to play Wolfsburg or Paris Saint-Germain Barcelona (why do I keep getting that wrong?) in the semi-finals. Guro Reiten’s goal gave Chelsea a superb 1-0 win in the away leg, so they will start tonight as marginal favourites. But Lyon are Lyon are Lyon: they’ve won this tournament in six of the last seven seasons. Don’t expect them to go quietly.
Kick off 8pm.
English (US)