Montpellier FC vs. OL Lyonnes: The streak continues (2-5)!

Our Lyonnes were caught off guard right from the start of the match by an alert and well-organised Montpellier side. On their first real attack, the Pailladines capitalised on a favourable situation and Ella Palis opened the scoring (1–0, 6′). This early goal made for a difficult start for Lyonnes and set the tone for a particularly disjointed first half. Despite having the upper hand in terms of possession overall, Jonatan Giráldez’s players struggled to develop their style of play. The rhythm was disjointed, passes were sometimes lacking in precision, and OL Lyonnes failed to impose the tempo that is usually their strength. Liana Joseph, well put through, saw her attempt go narrowly wide of the opposition’s goal (24’). A few minutes later, Célia Chabod was shown a second yellow card and sent off following a foul on Liana Joseph (32’). Before the break, Ada Hegerberg came close to levelling the score. Receiving a cross from Vicki Becho, the Norwegian striker attempted an acrobatic finish but failed to hit the target. Our Lyonnes went into the break trailing and will look to turn the game around in the second half.

Well positioned in the box, Marie-Antoinette Katoto capitalised on a cross from Vicki Becho and slotted the ball into the back of the net to equalise straight after the break (1–1, 50′). A few minutes later, on the edge of the box, Korbin Shrader met a cross from Tabitha Chawinga and unleashed a powerful shot that gave the Montpellier goalkeeper no chance (1-2, 56′). Tabitha Chawinga, who had been very active since coming on, made the most of her pace down the wing. After another run down the flank, she delivered a perfect cross for Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who scored her second of the match (1–3, 61’). However, our Lyonnes were caught out by a direct free-kick, allowing Montpellier FC to pull one back (2–3, 75’). Spurred on, the Pailladines then tried to push for an equaliser, but Jonatan Giráldez’s players proved clinical on the break. From a swift counter-attack, Tabitha Chawinga delivered a dangerous cross which ended up in the back of the net after a deflection by the Montpellier defence (2–4, 83’). Two minutes later, Melchie Dumornay sealed the match once and for all. Well set up in the box, she scored her tenth goal of the season in the Arkema Première Ligue to seal victory for our Lyonnes (2–5, 85′).