Olympique Lyonnais 0-1 Chelsea: Guro Reiten strike hands Blues vital first leg advantage in France

Guro Raiten’s superb strike has given Chelsea a crucial lead after the away leg in the Champions League quarter-final against Lyon.

Just before the half-hour mark, Erin Cuthbert won the ball in the Lyon half and played the ball to Reiten on the left edge of the area and Norwegian star curled an unstoppable effort inside the far post.

The lead could have been doubled 11 minutes before the break when Lauren James cut in from the right flank and fired an effort which came back off the post.

Lyon’s best chance to equalise came on the hour mark when Delphine Cascarino’s effort had Ann Katrin Berger beaten but came back off the post.

The return leg will be at Stamford Bridge in eight days.

TALKING POINT

Changing of the guard? – With a domestic treble, and two doubles in the past four years, Chelsea are the undoubted queens of the English game and have long made their aim to dominate the next frontier. This deserved victory over the nine-time and reigning Champions League winners suggests they may be on the cusp of this. In truth, but for the chance which fell to Cascarino which was of Chelsea’s own making, Lyon hardly threatened in the second half despite the Blues losing key defender Millie Bright on the stroke of half time. Chelsea’s rigid organisation of their back four and sitting midfielders squeezed the creativity out of Lyon, especially after Dzsenifer Marozsan was substituted ten minutes into the second half. Chelsea conversely could have had more and if Sam Kerr had been in her usual form in front of goal probably would have netted at least another. The job is only half done and Lyon have already recorded a victory in London this season, wining at Arsenal in December, but Chelsea will have real faith this is their year to break their Champions League hoodoo.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Lauren James (Chelsea) – The European Championships may be came a little too early for her but surely the World Cup will see her feature heavily. The 21-year-old produced a number of electric moments in this match effortlessly bypassing the attentions of a player of the status of Perle Morroni. Her ability to find Sam Kerr with angled, dinked balls over the top should have resulted in at least one goal. Her strike against the post, with minimal back-lift, from the edge of the box would have even surpassed Reiten’s strike. To put in this display at the home of the European champions truly shows she has the world at her feet.

PLAYER RATINGS

Lyon: Endler 6; Carpenter 6, Gilles 6, Renard 6, Morroni 6; Damaris Egurrola 6, Horan 7; Marozsan 7, Cascarino 7, Dabritz 6, Le Sommer 5.

Subs: Becho 6, Bacha 6, Van de Donk 7, Majri 6, Malard 6.

Chelsea: Berger 6; Perisset 6, Buchanan 7, Bright 6, Carter 6; Ingle 6, Leupolz 7; Cuthbert 8; James 8*, Reiten 7; Kerr 5.

Subs: Eriksson 5, Charles 6, Mjelde 6, Kaneryd 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

28′ GOAL FOR CHELSEA! And what a goal! Cuthbert won the ball 40 yards from goal and nutmegged Eggurola before playing diagonally to Reiten who clipped an unstoppable shot just inside the far post.

34′ OFF THE POST! James cuts inside Morroni and fires a left-footed strike which cannons back off the post.

60′ OFF THE POST! Cascarino is the width of the post away from an equaliser. Eriksson gives the ball away in her own box and is almost costly but the ball strikes the woodwork.

80′ VAN DE DONK NOT FAR AWAY! She turns in on her right foot and the effort deflects off Perisset and drifts only a yard wide of the target.

KEY STAT

• 1 – This is Chelsea’s first victory over Lyon.