Olympique Lyonnais’ Buchanan downs Canadian teammates to qualify for Champions League final

Brampton, Ontario’s Kadeisha Buchanan qualified for her fourth straight UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, as Olympique Lyonnais downed Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.

Already a three-time Champions League winner with her French side, Buchanan started at the heart of defence for Lyon, while fellow Canadian international Ashley Lawrence started the match for PSG. Jordyn Huitema, meanwhile, was also part of the fixture, on the PSG bench.

It was Lyon, who have won the competition four times in a row, who were the better team in the first half, but just couldn’t find the opening goal. England international Nikita Parris came the closest in the opening 45’, as the Lyon striker got on the end of a cross, but her shot just trickled wide of the goal. Lyon’s defensive strength was frustrating for PSG, who had a tough time getting good looks in front of goal.

Midway through the second half, PSG’s Grace Geyoro picked up a second yellow card for an poor challenge on Lucy Bronze, who was weaving between a number of defenders. That proved to be a turning point as on the ensuing free kick, Lyon opened the scoring in the 67th minute.

After a perfect cross from Amel Majri, legendary Lyon centre-back Wendie Renard, who has been with the club since 2006, scored the opening goal with a towering header.

It appeared to smooth sailing ahead for Lyon, who dominated the next 10 minutes. Up a player and controlling the match, Parris was given a second yellow card in the 75th minute. One of Lyon’s most dangerous attackers, she’ll now miss the final on Sunday.

From there, Lyon were able to close out the final part of the match, downing their French rivals to move one step closer to the treble. Lyon qualified for their fifth consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League final (and ninth in the last eleven years).

They’ll be taking on a familiar foe in the shape of VfL Wolfsburg, another powerhouse in the women’s game, in a rematch of the 2012-13, 2015-16, and 2017-18 finals. Wolfsburg won the first final, but Lyon has won the last two encounters, and will be looking for a hat-trick on Sunday.

After Alphonso Davies made headlines earlier this week for becoming the first Canadian men’s international to win the UEFA Champions League, it should be highlighted that Buchanan was the first Canadian soccer player to win a UEFA Champions League final.

Buchanan and Olympique Lyonnais will face VfL Wolfsburg in the championship match this Sunday 30 August in San Sebastian, Spain. The UEFA Women’s Champions League final will kick off at 14.00 ET / 11.00 PT with a live broadcast on DAZN.