Six goals, no reply, and a statement nobody in Europe could ignore. OL Lyonnes dismantled Juventus 6-0 in Biella on Wednesday night, scoring three times in each half to move top of the Women's Champions League league phase and book their place in the knockout rounds with two games to spare.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto did the early damage, striking a quickfire double just after the half-hour mark to take her tally to seven goals in this season's competition — more than any other player. Melchie Dumornay, later named player of the match, fired in the third before the break, and Juventus never recovered.
Three more after the break as Juve collapsed
If the first half was ruthless, the second was relentless. Lily Yohannes and substitute Korbin Shrader both pounced on rebounds after saves from Juventus goalkeeper Danielle de Jong, before captain Wendie Renard followed up her own saved penalty to complete the rout, as UEFA recorded in its matchday round-up.
Renard's goal carried a slice of history with it: the Lyon captain has now scored in 15 different Women's Champions League seasons, equalling the record held by Alexandra Popp. For a defender, on a night her team kept yet another clean sheet, it underlined how complete this Lyon side looks in every department.
Juventus, roared on at the Stadio La Marmora-Pozzo, had no answer to Lyon's movement or their press. De Jong made save after save, yet Lyon kept finding the rebounds first — the sign of a side hunting in packs while their opponents chased shadows.
What this does to the league phase
Lyonnes sit top with 10 points from four matches, one clear of holders Barcelona, and they have still not conceded a goal in this league phase. A top-four finish brings a direct quarter-final place, and on this evidence the eight-time European champions are the team everyone else will want to avoid in the draw, as Flashscore noted in its report of the night.
Barcelona can reclaim top spot when they host Arsenal at Camp Nou on Thursday, the fixture of the round. Behind them, the fight for the play-off places tightened on Wednesday as OH Leuven and HB Køge drew 1-1 in Belgium — Jada Conijnenberg's 79th-minute header cancelled out inside three minutes by Simone Boye Sørensen.
Juventus remain eighth on six points, still inside the play-off positions but now looking over their shoulder. A home defeat this heavy damages goal difference as well as morale, and with a trip to face the same Leuven side up next in this competition, there is no soft landing. Tuesday's results elsewhere — Chelsea held in Gothenburg and Roma finally off the mark — showed how quickly the middle of this 18-team table can shift.
Katoto is running this competition
Strikers define Champions League campaigns, and right now Katoto is defining this one. Seven goals in four league-phase games, scored with both feet and her head, in a front line where Dumornay's power and invention give Lyon a second, completely different threat. Defences cannot double up on both, and Juventus learned that lesson the hardest way possible.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This was not a bad night for Juventus so much as a measuring stick for everyone else. Lyonnes did not just win in Italy — they played at a tempo and a level that made a good side look ordinary, and they did it without conceding a single clear chance of note. The rest of Europe, Barcelona and Arsenal included, now knows the bar. The only question left in this league phase is whether anyone can reach it.
Can anyone stop Lyonnes this season — or is a ninth European crown already theirs to lose? Tell us in the comments.
