Around OL: Lyon Takes Third Place in Amos Women's French Cup

Olympique Lyonnais played two matches this week in the Amos Women’s French Cup, falling 4-2 in the semifinal to Bayern Munich Frauen on Wednesday, August 4 and defeating their biggest rivals Paris Saint-Germain 5-1 in the third-place match today. 

Semifinal Game vs. Bayern Munich Frauen 

Lyon never quite found their footing in the semifinal match against Bayern Munich Frauen, allowing the opponent to dictate the tempo of the game. Bayern found their first goal in the 8th minute of the match when Lea Schuller chipped the ball over the head of Lyon’s goalkeeper. Schuller scored again in the 42nd minute, doubling Bayern’s lead over Lyon.  

Even after the halftime break, Lyon struggled to come back. Bayern’s dominance in the midfield was making all the difference in the match. The German side added a third and fourth goal in the 68th and 69th minute, to extend their lead to 4-0. 

Lyon was not ready to give up. Amel Majri scored the first goal back for OL in the 83rd minute, offering a glimpse of hope for the team. Wendie Renard added a second goal for Lyon in the 87th minute using her head to cut Bayern’s lead down to 4-2. In the end, the game was too far gone for Lyon to comeback, and they moved onto the third-place game to face off with their biggest rival, Paris Saint-Germain. 

Third-place Game vs. Paris Saint-Germain 

In the third-place match, Lyon drew first blood against PSG, when Janice Cayman finished a rebounded save from the Parisian goalkeeper to the far post. Though Lyon was up 1-0, PSG was knocking on the door, looking to score a goal of their own. 

However, Lyon took advantage of all their opportunities and capitalized on the mistakes of the Parisians. Delphine Cascarino intercepted a bad pass from PSG in their own defensive third of the field and took a powerful shot to the far post to double Lyon’s lead in the 26th minute. 

Just before halftime, Cascarino added another goal for Lyon, earning herself a brace. Melvine Malard found Cascarino at the top of the box and the forward drilled the ball into the back of the net. 

After halftime, the teams battled for just over ten minutes before Lyon earned a penalty kick. Majri stepped up to the spot and converted the kick, low and hard to the right of the goal. 

Revitalized by the fourth goal, Lyon used that momentum to find a fifth goal in the 58th minute. Malard did well to get open in the box and used her head to nod home Lyon’s final goal of the match. 

In the 80th minute, PSG found one goal in the back of the net, but there was not enough time or energy for the Parisians to surmount a comeback. In the end, Lyon came away with the 5-1 victory against their rival and earned the third-place title in the Amos French Cup. 

Up Next for OL 

Olympique Lyonnais women’s team will be heading to the Pacific Northwest to compete in the Women’s International Champions Cup in Portland, Oregon. The ICC tournament consists of four teams, who have each qualified for the WICC by winning championships in their 2020 tournaments, competitions and leagues. 

Olympique Lyonnais women’s team will be heading to the Pacific Northwest to compete in the Women’s International Champions Cup in Portland, Oregon. The ICC tournament consists of four teams, who have each qualified for the WICC by winning championships in their 2020 tournaments, competitions and leagues. OL qualified for the tournament as the winners of the 2020 UEFA Women’s Champions League and 2020 D1 Féminine. The Portland Thorns qualified as winners of the 2020 NWSL Fall Series. The other two teams in the tournament are the Houston Dash, who qualified as winners of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, and FC Barcelona, who qualified as winners of the 2020 Primera División. OL will be looking to win back-to-back WICC titles, while the other three clubs are competing in the tournament for the first time. 

OL will take on FC Barcelona on Wednesday, August 18 at 5:30 p.m. PT. The winner of that match will advance to the final match, where they will meet the winner of the clash between NWSL teams. The full tournament schedule and link to purchase tickets can be found here.