MADRID, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid on Wednesday confirmed the signing of striker Moussa Dembele on loan from Olympique Lyonnais.
Dembele will stay until the end of the season and Atletico have the option to make the move permanent for around 33 million euros (40 million U.S. dollars).
His arrival will cover the departure of Diego Costa, whose contract was recently rescinded, leaving Luis Suarez as the only regular striker in Diego Simeone’s squad.
MADRID, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — Olympique Lyonnais beat Wolfsburg 3-1 in the final of the Women’s Champions League on Sunday to lift the title for the fifth consecutive year.
First-half goals from Eugenie Le Sommer and Saki Kumagai put the French side in the driving seat and a late goal from Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir sealed the win.
Lyon equal the record of five consecutive European titles won by the Real Madrid men’s team in the 1950s.
Lyon were the better side in the first half, with Delphine Cascarino a constant threat down their right flank.
The 23-year-old winger helped Le Sommer open the scoring.Le Sommer reacted sharply to fire home a loose ball after goalkeeper Friederike Abt had blocked the original shot with her legs.
Wolfsburg reacted well to the goal, but were unable to turn a spell of possession into chances and once again Cascarino had a hand as Lyon doubled their lead.
Wolfsburg failed to clear her cross from the right and the ball fell to Kumagai, who drilled a left-foot shot past Abt from around 20 yards.
Lyon looked to seal their seventh Champions League title in the opening minutes of the second half as well-placed Le Sommer twice fired over the bar.
Wolfsburg got back into the game slightly when Alexandra Popp nodded home at the near post in the 58th minute, and Lena Oberdorf and Pia-Sophie Wolter came on for the Germans who all of a sudden had a spring in their step.
However, the German side failed to really trouble Lyon keeper Sarah Bouhaddi.Gunnarsdottir sealed Lyon’s win two minutes from time when she stuck out a foot to deflect Le Sommer’s half volley.
There was a VAR check, but the goal was good.
LISBON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Bayern Munich defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3-0 on Wednesday to secure a place in the Uefa Champions League 2020 final.
Having beaten Barcelona 8-2 in the quarterfinal, Bayern arrived into the semifinal as heavy favorites and did not disappoint, though Lyon made life difficult for them in the opening stages.
The French side started the game well, filling the spaces and not allowing Bayern midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Leon Goretzka time and space on the ball.
Lyon even hit the post in the 16th minute, with striker Memphis Depay wasting what might have been the first goal of the game.
Lyon were made to pay for Depay’s profligacy immediately afterwards, as Serge Gnabry received a long throw from Joshua Kimmich and dribbled past three opponents before rifling an unstoppable shot past Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.
Bayern doubled their lead shortly afterwards, when Ivan Perisic drilled a cross into the box, and although Robert Lewandowski’s effort hit Lopes, Gnabry was on hand to tap home the rebound to make it 2-0 after 32 minutes.
Lyon coach Rudi Garcia rang the changes at half-time, but his side was unable to overcome Bayern’s dominance, and Lewandowski made sure of the result in the dying minutes when he headed home Benjamin Pavard’s cross.Bayern will now face French champions Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s final, when the German side will be looking to win their sixth European Cup title.
LISBON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Olympique Lyonnais’ Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes spoke of his mixed feelings after his side’s 3-0 Uefa Champions League semifinal defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday at Estadio Alvalade in Lisbon.
“It was great to play in Portugal, it was a very special feeling for me. This defeat was complicated,” lamented the goalkeeper, who was born in France to Portuguese parents.
“We had a lot of opportunities in the first 15 minutes, we even hit the post. The team ended up not scoring goals, and that ended up complicating everything,” he said.
The experienced goalkeeper also praised the recent performances of Lyon’s young Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes, who only arrived at the club in January.
“Bruno is a spectacular player, he is very intelligent, despite being at Lyon for a short time. The team was spectacular with him. He is an ace – he must continue to demonstrate his level. I hope he gets to the Brazilian national team soon,” he said.
Fellow Brazilian defender Marcelo Guedes also highlighted Lyon’s missed opportunities, noting that Bayern’s quality shone through.
“Even though we knew we had had a good campaign, we were sad, because we had a chance to win this game. There were three occasions in the first half,” he lamented.
“They were going to retreat, and we were unable to score, and Bayern, when given the chance, scored. Then, they sat back and that made us tired, so we didn’t have the strength to get back in the game,” he concluded.
The final of the 2020 UEFA Champions League will take place next Sunday between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
