Pre-Match Notes: After coming off of a regular season win against Lille, and a UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) Group Stage win against SKN St. Pölten, the Olympique Lyonnais Féminin will be meeting SK Brann for their next UWCL Group Stage match. Brann is coming off of a Champions League win against Slavia Praha, and, like Lyon, is currently undefeated in the UWCL group stages. Currently, both teams have six points; however, Lyon is in the number one spot due to having a higher goal differential. Lyon is going to want to come away with a win in this match in order to retain their position as number one in the group standings.

When it comes to this match against Brann, this could be a challenging match for Lyon. A month ago, when Lyon went up against St. Pölten, many people thought Lyon was going to win with a high scoreline, like in their match against Slavia Praha, where Lyon walked away with a 9-0 win. Instead, Lyon came away with a 2-0 win. Lyon was doing everything right in that match. They were keeping possession, maintaining control, and were on the attack. However, St. Pölten’s defense was able to hold off Lyon and prevent them from scoring when they got into the box.

I predict that Lyon is going to have the most possession and control in this match. They’re going to be on the attack for the majority of this match. However, the challenge for Lyon is going to be trying to figure out how to break through Brann’s defense in the box. Overall, I don’t think Lyon will have an issue creating chances, nor will they have an issue getting past Brann’s backline. The challenge is going to be figuring out how to score in the box through, what could be, a tightly compact defense. It’s something Sonia Bompastor and the Lyon team will have to figure out.

Line Up Notes

Starting Eleven: We have Christiane Endler in the goal. For defenders Ellie Carpenter, Vanessa Gilles, Wendie Renard, and Perle Morroni. In the midfield Damaris Eggurola, Daniëlle Van De Donk, and Sara Däbritz. And for forwards, Diani, Ada Hegerberg and Selma Bacha.

At the moment, Lyon is missing some forwards and strikers. Melchie Dumornay is out due to injury, and I’m sure Sonia Bompastor and the Lyon team didn’t intend for Eugénie Le Sommer to go down injured in their match against Lille. Yes, while Lyon is missing some forwards and strikers, there are still plenty of players who can score. Hegerberg, Diani Van de Donk, Damaris, and Däbritz to name a few.

On top of that, there’s Morroni coming up the wing with Carpenter on the other side. I do like Carpenter’s connection with Diani. At the same time, I also liked Morroni’s performance in Lyon’s match against Lille. She had some good crosses and services. The attack just needs to connect with them. On the bench, I do see Julie Swierot. I thought she did well in Lyon’s match against Lille when she came on to replace Le Sommer. Maybe we’ll get to see her in the second half.

First Half Notes

Olympique Lyon 2-0.

Overall, this was a good first half from Lyon. Great goals from Diani and Hegerberg. I thought Lyon was going to have trouble scoring in the box, like in their match against St. Pölten, but it seems as though Lyon is finding those gaps and openings in Brann’s penalty area. Services and crosses are definitely working for Lyon, but at the same time, I noticed through balls up to Hegerberg could be another good method of attack, provided that Hegerberg and the others can stay on sides. I definitely think Lyon will be able to add to their scoreline in the second half. I would like to see Lyon maintain their attack and maintain their pressure on Brann’s backline.

While Lyon has their attack figured out, I wasn’t really impressed with Lyon’s control in the midfield. They need to do better in responding to Brann’s counterattacks and transitions. At the same time, the backline needs to be careful when it comes to openings in their defense. They cannot leave players open and unmarked, and they cannot allow them to have so much space in or near their penalty area.

Second Half/Closing Notes

Olympique Lyon Wins 3-1.

Diani was able to add to her goal count and the Lyon score line in the second half, while Brann was able to grab a consolation goal, making the final scoreline read 3-1.

Overall, it was a good match and a good win for Lyon. Lyon is still on top of their group, now leading with 9 points. Lyon’s attack in this match was very strong. There was good connection and press in the attack, along with good services as well. In the second half, things kind of tapered off. It’s understandable because Lyon had a good lead. Even after Brann scored, Lyon still had the lead.

The thing that I found the most frustrating in this match was Lyon’s lack of control and stability in the midfield, especially as the second half started to come to a close. Lyon was allowing Brann to run through them, and allowing Brann to create chances for their attacking players. It’s fine if Lyon doesn’t want to attack. They didn’t need to, nor did they have to, since they already had the win in their pocket; however, the team still needs to close out the game in a strong way.

There needs to be better control and stability in Lyon’s midfield, and they, along with the rest of the team, need to do better when it comes to responding to counterattacks and transitions. At the same time, Lyon has to be careful when it comes to turnovers in the midfield. In past videos and articles, I said that those turnovers in the midfield were a minor issue that may need cleaning up, but now, going forward, it could be a real problem for this team if they don’t do something about it.