Chelsea 1-2 Lyon (1-2 agg. 4-3 pens): Blues tee up Barcelona semi-final after dramatic penalty shootout win

Substitute Sara Dabritz scored in extra-time to offer Lyon a 2-1 combination lead and seemingly ship the house aspect out after Vanessa Gilles had netted late within the second half to pressure the additional interval.

Then, with two minutes of harm time performed on the finish of extra-time, Lauren James superior contained in the field and was tripped. After a protracted VAR verify, Maren Mjelde stepped up and buried her spot-kick to ship the tie to penalties.

From there, Chelsea’s luck held. After the perimeters had exchanged misses, US worldwide Lindsey Horan noticed her kick saved by Ann-Katrin Berger to place Emma Hayes’ aspect into the final 4 and maintain in tact the dream of an unprecedented treble.

Chelsea’s combination lead, gained due to Guro Reiten’s sensible strike within the first leg in France per week in the past, had nearly been worn out inside the primary 5 minutes.

Magdalena Eriksson did not make good contact with a clearance, and the ball fell on the ft of Signe Bruun whose fizzing drive flew inches over the crossbar to the reduction of the Blues skipper.

The hosts settled, and will have taken the lead when James confirmed good power in midfield and launched Sam Kerr to run clear. Christiane Endler within the Lyon aim narrowed the angle effectively, and Kerr’s early shot got here again off the goalkeeper and away to security.

James drew one other save from Endler, this time a fingertip effort to maintain the Blues ahead from discovering the highest nook with an excellent curling effort after reducing in from the left. Moments later, Kerr broke and arrange Melanie Leupolz who clipped simply over.

Chelsea had had the higher of the primary half after weathering early strain from the reigning European champions. Kerr and James had been a menace each time they took possession within the Lyon half, and there was a palpable confidence to them as they regarded to maneuver a step nearer to a primary European crown.

But with a single-goal combination lead, they remained weak towards a aspect that has gained this event on six of their final seven makes an attempt.

Lyon practically levelled the tie moments after the break, and it was Eriksson once more at fault. The captain dwelt too lengthy on the ball, inviting on Danielle van de Donk who dispossessed her 18 yards from aim earlier than shedding management as she formed to shoot permitting the Chelsea defender to get well. It was one other let-off for the house aspect.

Their luck ran out 13 minutes from the top of regular time. Horan acquired in down the fitting for Lyon and superior to the touchline. Her low cross was pulled again so far as Gilles, who beat the flat-footed Eriksson to the ball and turned it inside Berger’s put up.

Additional-time noticed Hayes’ aspect take management of the play with out significantly threatening to win it within the half-hour. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd got here off the bench and took the sport to Lyon down the fitting wing as each side drained, however the quarter-final regarded destined by then to be gained on penalties.

That was till Dabritz’s decisive intervention on the finish, taking a contact as Eriksson failed to chop out a cross and guiding the ball again throughout aim into Berger’s far nook to seemingly break Chelsea hearts.

Then, after 127 minutes of play, got here James’ tumble, Mjelde’s leveller and Berger’s heroics to place the hosts by way of.