Lyon Aren’t Out of Europe Just Yet…

By: Inara | March 29th, 2008

At least the ladies team isn’t. OL Féminines, UEFA Women’s Cup debutants, are currently the only French team – male or female – that are still in Europe.

Jean-Michel Aulas has thrown all his considerable weight behind Lyon’s ladies team, who have the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders. And Aulas is very serious about bringing home a European trophy, something his men’s side haven’t yet managed to do.

He’s tired of the guys letting him down all the time!

Next Sunday, OL Féminines will be taking on Umeå IK in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Cup semifinals. This is Lyon’s first year in the tournament, but you wouldn’t know it from the fearless way the women are taking on the challenge. So far, they’ve dispatched the traditional powerhouses of Kolbotn, Brøndby, and Arsenal .

Lyon really believe they can go all the way in this tournament, and after such great results in the earlier stages of the tournament, the women are full of hope. Of course, they’ll be coming up against Umea’s very own superstar, Marta, as well as a whole host of other talents, but Lyon have quality players of their own, including several international players representing France, Norway, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Brazil (no OL team is complete without some Brazilians).

OL Ladies have been playing all their European home games at the Gerland, and they will continue to do so. The club is expecting a record crowd of 10,000 people, which would break French attendance records for a woman’s football match. To lure in supporters, tickets are cheap, and as an added bonus, the men’s game at Valenciennes will be broadcast on big screens after the ladies match.

So if you’re in Lyon and have some free time Sunday afternoon, then head over and support the ladies. They’re France’s only chance to get something out of Europe, and to their credit, they’re showing more ambition than many of the men.

Domestic results:

Things are looking good for Lyon. This past weekend, they comfortably beat Evreux 9-0, and now they are 11 points clear of second placed Juvisy, one of France’s traditional powerhouses in women’s football. Lyon are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, have only conceded two draws domestically, and don’t look like stopping anytime soon. Hard to believe that three years ago, this team didn’t even exist!

Current D1 standings:

1 – LYON, 60 pts, +67
2 – JUVISY, 49 pts, +33
3 – MONTPELLIER, 45 pts, +22
4 – St ETIENNE, 41 pts, +2
5 – SOYAUX, 36 pts, 0
6 – VENDENHEIM, 36 pts, -10
7 – PSG, 33 pts, -8
8 – TOULOUSE 31 pts, -21
9 – HENIN BEAUMONT, 27 pts, -22
10 – ST BRIEUC, 27 pts, -17
11 – EVREUX, 27 pts, -34
12 – LA ROCHE 25 pts, -12

Lyon are also in the semifinals of the Challenge de France Féminin (Women’s French Cup), where they will be up against Soyaux for a place in the finals. Like the men’s team, the ladies have never won a domestic double.

Anyway, because the French league just isn’t good enough preparation for Europe (gee, that sounds familiar…), training has intensified to include matches against Les Epicuriens, a team that consists of former OL men’s professionals (which include such players as Sonny Anderson, Florian Maurice, and Franck Gava).

Some reading:

UEFA, having no other French teams to write about, has been providing extensive coverage on OL Féminines. Some recent articles:

Frankfurt and Lyon score freely
Lyon ambition continues to grow
Lyon’s samba beat
Excited Lyon entertain Umeå

UEFA