Lyon 4-1 Benfica (agg: 6-2): Hosts seal semi-final spot as Delphine Cascarino strikes twice

Lyon marked their record-equalling 15th appearance in the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals by extending their perfect record against stubborn Benfica with the help of two terrific Delphine Cascarino strikes to progress to the final four.

Lyon link arms on their way to seeing off spirited BenficaAFP via Getty Images

Match in brief: Cascarino class inspires Lyon

Having turned the first leg around to win 2-1, Lyon maintained their momentum in the tie by creating all of the early attacks as the eight-time champions chased an early goal in Décines.

Eugénie Le Sommer had received a presentation to mark her 400th appearance for the club before kick-off, and the France forward almost added another memorable moment to her highlights reel at the club, only to skim her finish wide when Kadidiatou Diani's low cross found her unmarked in front of goal.

Cascarino had drawn the French contenders level in Lisbon, and the livewire capitalised in the deftest of fashion after Le Sommer had seized possession on the edge of the Benfica penalty area, chipping in from distance to establish a two-goal aggregate advantage for her side.

With eight goals since the start of this season's qualifying, though, Marie Alidou takes some stopping. Two minutes after the opener, the Canada midfielder completed a slick Benfica move by slotting in from Lucia Alves' low cross to get them back in the tie.

Prolific Marie-Yasmine Alidou was in the right place to give Benfica hope of a comebackUEFA via Getty Images

As the first Portuguese side ever to reach this stage, The Eagles would have sensed a chance to make more history by shocking one of the competition heavyweights – but Lyon's class and experience told during a second half they controlled.

Cascarino's second was a beauty six minutes after the restart, cutting inside from the left on a bustling run and thundering in a sensational finish from long range to give Lyon a level of comfort they kept hold of against opponents urged on by coach Filipa Patão.

Diani fired in from close range as added time began and rolled in another via Catarina Amado just before the end, making the scoreline sweeter for Sonia Bompastor's players as they took a major step towards a first title since 2021/22.

Cascarino collects her Player of the Match accoladeUEFA via Getty Images

Visa Player of the Match: Delphine Cascarino

"A constant threat in one-on-one situations and a supply line for her team-mates, she worked hard off the ball, was aggressive in a high press and scored twice – and she could have had more."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Vanessa Tomaszewski, match reporter

Lyon lacked a little early precision against a Benfica side demonstrating determination and mental resilience. Clinical Cascarino set them on their way to an emphatic victory, and the possibility of an all-French semi-final now hinges on Thursday's match between Paris and Häcken.

Reaction

Sonia Bompastor, Lyon coach: "There are a lot of reason for satisfaction. We're proud of the fans – thank you to them – and the players. The performance after half-time was great but we needed to be more clinical during the first half. The common thread was making the right choices; had we done that throughout, we could have put Benfica in more difficulty. Nothing is given to us, so we must always be vigilant."

Delphine Cascarino, Lyon forward: "It was a good performance from the whole team and me personally. We could have done better at the start of the match; we should have capitalised on our chances to secure the lead early on. The goals came a little later. It's interesting to start on the left because I can come inside to strike, but I adapt to the team. They can put me anywhere – I’ll be all in.”

Kadidiatou Diani, Lyon forward: "It was difficult at the start: there were opportunities we didn't capitalise on. In the second half, converting those chances put us in the ascendancy. It’s important for confidence and as long as we win, that’s what satisfies us."

Filipa Patão, Benfica coach: "I would like to say we could be proud, but that would be lowering expectations of what we wanted. We cannot be proud, we can be motivated for the future. We are growing and the future is bright. We learned that it won't be the last time we're in the quarter-finals. We're going to compete more. The work we're doing says so."

Marie Alidou, Benfica midfielder: "I think initially people didn't expect us to achieve the results we did in the UEFA Women's Champions League. We were kind of the underdogs. I'm proud of our performances. Today's result didn't reflect the journey we've had. But we leave with our heads held high."

Chandra Davidson, Benfica forward: "Collectively we are frustrated because the result does not reflect the game. We lost control a little towards the end but, despite this bittersweet feeling, I am very proud of our team. We always managed to show excellent spirit. We knew we needed another goal and we went out with that energy but, unfortunately, we ended up conceding another goal in the second half and that changed the game."

Key stats

• Lyon have prevailed in all four meetings between the teams, including two 5-0 victories in the 2021/22 group stage.
• OL have won 13 of their 15 quarter-final ties and 22 of their 29 last-eight matches.
• This was their 10th win in their last 15 matches in the competition (D4 L1).
• They have scored in 50 of their last 53 Champions League matches.

Line-ups

Lyon: Endler; Carpenter, Mbock Bathy, Gilles, Bacha (Morroni 70); Van de Donk (Majri 63), Horan, Däbritz (Egurrola 46); Diani, Le Sommer (Dumornay 46), Cascarino (Becho 76)

Benfica: Pauels; Araujo, Carole Costa (Andreia Norton 83), Ucheibe; Lucia Alves, Gasper, Andreia Faria (Jéssica Silva 57), Catarina Amado; Alidou (Almendariz 90 +4), Davidson (Falcón 83), Kika Nazareth