Arsenal Fall to Lyon 2-1,Extending Winless Streak – Can They Rebound?
Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat to Lyon in their Women’s Champions League group stage match,continuing a recent downturn in form that is raising questions about their campaign. The loss follows a pattern of costly individual errors, according to players and staff, and leaves Arsenal facing a critical league fixture this weekend.
Despite a promising start that saw them take an early lead, Arsenal were unable to maintain momentum against the French champions. Lyon capitalized on mistakes, a recurring theme highlighted by forward Alessia Russo, who stated, “We’re sometimes letting teams get attacks on us by our own mistakes…We need to take accountability.”
Arsenal managed only half as many shots as Lyon, and while they overcame a 2-1 first-leg deficit to win 4-1 against Lyon in the semi-final of this competition last year, there will be no second leg this time.
Captain Kim Little acknowledged the team’s current struggles, saying, “we’re in a lower space just now with the current form, but we’ll come back stronger.” Manager Jonas Eidevall echoed this sentiment, noting the team’s strong cultural and football foundation, and emphasizing the need to “manage it really well and we give direction moving forward.”
Arsenal’s next challenge is a league match against Brighton on Sunday at 14:30 BST. A failure to secure a win would mark a month without a victory for the team. Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor observed that Arsenal were strong in the opening 20-25 minutes, but “if you make a couple of errors against a top-quality side like Lyon, then they will punish you.” she also pointed to a need for greater clinical finishing in the final third, but noted “positives to take.”
