SportfootballUEFA Champions League
Wolfsburg’s perfect Champions League record ends in Lyon
The fortress finally crumbled in Lyon, where Wolfsburg's pristine Champions League record met its emphatic end against a side that operates on a different tactical plane altogether. From the opening whistle, OL Lyon unleashed a symphony of attacking football that felt less like a match and more like a tactical dissection, with Lindsey Heaps and Korbin Shrader rattling the woodwork inside five minutes—a portent of the relentless pressure to come.Stina Johannes in Wolfsburg's goal performed heroics, notably denying Wendie Renard, but the dam was destined to break. When it did, it was the inevitable Ada Hegerberg, the competition's all-time leading scorer with a staggering 71 goals from 79 appearances—a statistic that cements her alongside the true legends of the game—who pounced on a rebound after Heaps' free-kick struck the post, a theme that haunted Wolfsburg all night.Just five minutes later, Hegerberg completed her brace, a testament to Lyon's set-piece mastery, with Selma Bacha delivering a pinpoint assist despite a pre-match injury, showcasing the squad's formidable depth. Wolfsburg, typically so dominant, were reduced to spectators for large stretches, their only first-half respite coming when Lineth Beerensteyn was denied by the post, a moment that underscored their profound offensive struggles.The second half saw a slight tactical recalibration from Stephan Lerch, introducing experience with Svenja Huth and Lena Lattwein, which provided a fleeting spark, but Lyon's control was absolute. Hegerberg squandered a one-on-one, a rare blemish, but the subsequent VAR-awarded penalty allowed Renard—stepping up with the authority of a captain who has now surpassed 100 club goals and become the first player to win 100 European matches—to dispatch the spot-kick with cold precision.Lineth Beerensteyn's late consolation, her eighth of the season on her 50th Champions League appearance, was a mere footnote in a 3-1 defeat that exposed Wolfsburg's vulnerabilities against elite opposition. This result isn't just a blip; it's a stark reminder of Lyon's enduring pedigree and a warning for Wolfsburg, who now face a gauntlet of fixtures against Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.The analytics will show Lyon's expected goals dwarfed Wolfsburg's, their 62% possession and 18 shots to 4 painting a picture of total dominance, a performance that echoes the great Barcelona teams of old in its control and execution. For Wolfsburg, the lesson is clear: in the Champions League, perfection is ephemeral, and only the most resilient, tactically astute sides survive.
#Wolfsburg
#Lyon
#UEFA Women's Champions League
#Ada Hegerberg
#Wendie Renard
#football
#featured
