Lyon 1-5 Arsenal: Gunners stun Champions League holders with brilliant away performance

Caitlin Foord fired Arsenal successful beforehand against reigning champions Lyon

Arsenal laid down a stunning marker for their Women's Champions League run by thumping holders Lyon successful France.

Lyon pulled 1 backmost done Melvine Malard, nevertheless Beth Mead restored the two-goal vantage with a almighty free-kick.

Quickfire second-half goals from Foord and Mead completed a superb win.

The triumph gives Arsenal aboriginal power of Champions League Group C, portion Juventus bushed Zurich 2-0 successful Wednesday night's different fixture successful the pool.

Yet it is the quality of the occurrence which volition nonstop shockwaves done European women's football.

Lyon had ne'er mislaid by 3 oregon much goals successful this competition, and had not conceded much than 4 successful a crippled for 17 years earlier this location thrashing.

Magnificent Arsenal marque a immense statement

There are fewer bigger statements a shot squad tin marque than beating the holders and Champions League winners successful six of the past 7 seasons connected their ain crushed successful the opening crippled of the radical stage.

Yet that is what Arsenal managed - their archetypal triumph successful six meetings with Lyon - and successful genuinely eye-catching, jaw-dropping style.

Not lone did they enactment 5 goals past a nine crowned European champions much times than immoderate other, they did truthful with their prima striker connected the seat and first-choice centre-back pairing absent done injury.

Vivianne Miedema, with 120 goals successful 149 games for Arsenal earlier tonight, was replaced by Maanum, portion the Gunners were inactive without Rafaelle Souza and Leah Williamson arsenic Steph Catley and Lotte Wubben-Moy commanded their defence.

While Catley and Wubben-Moy kept a cleanable expanse against Reading astatine the play successful the Women's Super League, this crippled was expected to beryllium a bigger trial for them.

Yet it was astatine the different extremity wherever Arsenal truly shone.

They deservedly took a 13th-minute pb erstwhile a agelong shot reached Stina Blackstenius, who played a large first-time walk crossed the container which Foord steered home.

Shock Miedema exclusion justified

Maanum past showed wherefore she was selected up of Miedema. Good successful the last third, she linked up play, continually disrupted Lyon's guardant runs and earned her goal.

It was a bold tactical telephone by Eidevall, 1 which would person seen him questioned had Lyon won, but the Norwegian midfielder repaid her manager's faith.

Eidevall introduced Miedema for her 150th Arsenal crippled successful the last 10 minutes for small much than a thigh of honour arsenic her team-mates had agelong since ensured Lyon would endure conscionable their 2nd nonaccomplishment successful 83 location games.

They claimed the 2nd extremity successful the 22nd infinitesimal erstwhile Blackstenius broke through, but was denied by Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler. Maanum, though, was determination to cod the rebound and rotation it into the nett past the covering defenders.

It meant Lyon trailed by much than 1 extremity successful the Champions League for the archetypal clip since April 2009 - and they looked similar a broadside that had been affected by injuries.

Ada Hegerberg, Catarina Macario, Dzenifer Marozsan, Sara Dabritz, Ellie Carpenter and Griedge Mbock were each missing, but it was inactive an awesome squad, with Eugenie Le Sommer, Lindsey Horan and Wendie Renard among the starters.

They seldom made that prime archer though, and adjacent their extremity was fortunate arsenic Horan deflected Selma Bacha's country connected to the crossbar and Malard tucked successful the rebound.

Good week for Mead gets adjacent better

It was Arsenal's nighttime and, arsenic truthful often successful 2022, it was Mead's crippled which everyone other was playing in. The Euro 2022 victor and Women's Ballon d'Or runner-up was successful scintillating signifier again, perpetually getting the amended of Bacha connected the wing.

She struck her free-kick extremity debased to the keeper's left, a almighty decorativeness that Endler could not support out.

Blackstenius would person made it 4-1 connected the hr people had her 10-yard changeable not struck a team-mate.

Instead it was Foord who got her 2nd with the prime of the bunch. Renard severely mishit a clearance nether nary unit and Arsenal's Australian planetary calmly took the shot down and fired a 25-yard curler into the bottommost corner.

Mead was past played done arsenic Lyon's defence fell apart, leaving a gaping spread for the England planetary to measurement done and smash a decorativeness past Endler for her 2nd goal.

Lyon's misery was summed up successful stoppage-time arsenic Horan headed against the station from a free-kick, earlier the rebound was thrashed good wide.

Last season's Champions League run was 1 to hide for Arsenal arsenic they shipped 4 goals location and distant to Barcelona and Hoffenheim, earlier being dumped retired by Wolfsburg.

On the ground of their dazzling display, though, this could beryllium 1 to remember.