Lyon’s first stumble of the season came not in a far-flung European away ground but at the Groupama Stadium, where Chelsea held Jonatan Giráldez’s side to a goalless Champions League draw.
The second-round meeting ended 0-0, bringing an abrupt pause to Lyon’s early-season surge. Until Chelsea arrived, the French club had won each of its first four matches and scored 30 times. This was the first occasion on which Giráldez’s team had neither won nor found the net.
Chelsea halt Lyon’s scoring run
The result was particularly striking given Lyon’s attacking form. Melchie Dumornay had entered the match with eight goals in five appearances and again carried much of the home side’s threat, but the Haiti forward could not force a breakthrough despite her repeated efforts.
“There is regret tonight because we could not put the ball in the back of the net,” Dumornay said after the match. “We have to keep working so that we can become stronger.”
Giráldez felt his players had pursued victory, but said the demands of the contest made it harder for Lyon to arrive in dangerous positions with their usual sharpness.
“The team tried to win the game,” the Lyon coach said. “We had opportunities, but it was not possible. The intensity of the match meant we did not reach the areas around the opposition box with enough freshness, unlike in our previous games.”
For Chelsea, the clean sheet in Lyon represented a disciplined European result. For the hosts, it was a rare quiet evening after a month in which goals had appeared almost routine.
