LYON, France: Lyon’s chances of a seventh Women’s Champions League title in eight years were hit by losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Guro Reiten’s winner — a curling strike in the 28th minute — puts Chelsea in control against the defending champions heading into the second leg next week at Stamford Bridge.
Since 2016, Lyon only once have failed to win the competition — in 2021, when the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by French rival Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG, which has never won the Champions League, lost 1-0 to Wolfsburg in Wednesday’s other quarterfinal first leg.
Delphine Cascarino hit the post for Lyon in the second half but the eight-time champions couldn’t find the equalizer at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
The Norway international’s goal was set up by Erin Cuthbert, who fought off Ellie Carpenter in midfield before delivering a pass into the area for Reiten’s one-timer.
Chelsea have never won the tournament. They lost to Barcelona 4-0 in the 2021 final.
In Paris, defender Dominique Janssen converted a penalty in the 62nd minute for the visitors at Parc des Princes.
The penalty was awarded to the German team after a video review determined that Elisa de Almeida handled the ball in the area — an infraction that earned the PSG defender her second yellow card and a sending off.
In Tuesday’s first legs, Bayern Munich and Barcelona won 1-0 against Arsenal and Roma, respectively.
