VAR, fine margins & ‘superior’ Lyon cost Arsenal Champions League final spot

But it wasn’t simply VAR that harmed Arsenal’s possibilities of turning into the primary British aspect to succeed in successive Women’s Champions League finals.

The two-time European champions, who beat Lyon in final 12 months’s semi-finals, had been utterly outplayed by the eight-time champions on Saturday.

“Arsenal came here last year and overcame the deficit to win, this time Lyon got their revenge,” former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis mentioned on BBC Two.

“They were the best team and had the best quality on the pitch.”

From the beginning, Slegers’ protection regarded shaky because the French aspect peppered their objective with probabilities.

“Lyon raised their levels today. They came out really strong. They had Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay back in the side, who are world class players,” Arsenal captain Kim Little instructed BBC Two.

“They were the best team. Across two legs it was two teams with styles of football that have gone against each other.”

Dumornay, broadly thought to be the most effective attacking gamers on the planet, had been deemed unfit to play within the first leg, however she made her mark within the reverse fixture – operating rings across the Arsenal backline.

“You can’t go into these games with slow starts and let Lyon build momentum,” former Arsenal defender Anita Asante mentioned.

“They surrounded the expectation better and got players who could cause problems into the game early.”

Brown-Finnis added: “Their performance from the start to the finish was superior to Arsenal’s.”