Final Score: Juventus 3 – 3 Lyonnes
In what will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary nights in UEFA Women’s Champions League history, Lyonnes produced a scarcely believable second-half fightback to rescue a point from the jaws of defeat, coming from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 away to Juventus. The Stadio Pozzo Lamarmora bore witness to 96 minutes of unrelenting drama, ruthless counter-attacking brilliance from the hosts in the first half, followed by an unstoppable wave of Lyonnes’s pressure after the break that culminated in Wendie Renard’s ice-cold 90th-minute penalty. The game exploded into life almost immediately. As early as the 4th minute, Tatiana Pinto rose to meet Chiara Beccari’s clipped cross from a rapid counter, only to glance her header inches wide of the far post. Lyonnes responded instantly. Kadidiatou Diani saw a close-range effort blocked before Lindsey Heaps crashed a header against the upright from Selma Bacha’s wicked free-kick delivery in the 15th minute. For a moment, it looked like the French giants would run riot.But Juventus had other ideas. In the 12th minute, Emma Godø released Beccari down the right, and the young Italian forward cut inside before lashing a superb right-footed strike into the top corner to send the home crowd into delirium. Fifteen minutes later, Juventus struck again on the break. Tatiana Pinto threading Michela Cambiaghi clean through to slot past Christiane Endler for 2-0 coolly. Lyonnes were rocking, and the knockout blow arrived in the 37th minute when Beccari turned provider, slipping Pinto in to rifle high into the roof of the net. 3-0 at the break, and few could argue that Juventus didn’t deserve it. Whatever Jonatan Giráldez said at half-time worked wonders. Lyonnes emerged transformed, and within seconds of the restart, Korbin Shrader, one of two interval substitutes, lashed a shot over the bar. The siege began in earnest. Corner after corner rained in on Pauline Peyraud-Magnin’s goal. Wendie Renard saw a towering header brilliantly tipped over, Melchie Dumornay fired too high, and the pressure refused to relent. The lifeline arrived on the hour mark. Ada Hegerberg threaded a perfect through ball into Tabitha Chawinga’s path, and the Malawian forward buried her shot low across the keeper to make it 3-1. Belief surged through the visitors. Moments later, Lyonnes struck the crossbar through Shrader and forced a string of saves from Peyraud-Magnin. The substitutions kept coming. Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Jule Brand replaced Chawinga and Hegerberg in the 63rd minute, and the impact was immediate. In the 66th minute, Diani forced another stunning stop, Alice Sombath’s follow-up header was clawed away, and the resulting corner saw Shrader rattle the woodwork again. Juventus were creaking. With eleven minutes remaining, the comeback gained real momentum. Selma Bacha, imperious all evening down the left, whipped in yet another pinpoint cross, and substitute Katoto powered home a header from point-blank range, 3-2. The stadium fell silent except for the travelling Lyonnes fans who sensed the impossible was possible. Juventus threw on Cristiana Girelli and Martina Lenzini to stem the tide, but Lyonnes were relentless. Corner after corner, shot after shot, offside after offside, the pressure was suffocating. In the 89th minute, chaos in the Juventus box saw the ball strike Cecilia Salvai’s arm. Penalty. Up stepped Captain Wendie Renard. She placed the ball, took three steps, and calmly sent Peyraud-Magnin the wrong way, rolling it into the bottom left corner. 3-3. Pandemonium. Four minutes of added time brought one final Lyonnes corner, one last desperate Juventus clearance, and one final offside flag against Jule Brand. When the whistle finally blew, Lyonnes’s players collapsed to the turf in a mixture of exhaustion and elation, while Juventus were left shell-shocked, wondering how a famous victory had slipped through their fingers.
Standout Performers
- Chiara Beccari (Juventus) – Goal, assist, terrorised Lyonnes’s defence until substituted. A star performance.
- Tatiana Pinto (Juventus) – Goal, assist, everywhere in the first half. Heartbreaking to be on the losing side of the scoreline.
- Selma Bacha (Lyonnes) – Two assists, endless quality from the left. Player of the match for many.
- Marie-Antoinette Katoto (Lyonnes, sub) – On for 27 minutes, scored the vital second goal. Changed the game.
- Wendie Renard (Lyonnes) – Towering presence, ice-cold penalty. Captain. Leader. Legend.
