Paris (AFP)

The semi-finals first leg of the Ladies' Champions League pitted a confident Paris SG on Sunday after his feat against the five-time holding Lyon, to a formidable Barcelona, ​​the other shock between Bayern Munich and the ambitious Chelsea team .

PSG, deprived of winger Kadidiatou Diani on injury, will be able to count on his trio Marie-Antoinette Katoto / Sandy Baltimore / Grace Geyoro, who have achieved the resounding feat of quartering Olympique Lyonnais de Wendie Renard.

Beaten on the first leg in Paris (1-0), Olivier Echouafni's players created a surprise by going to turn the tide at Groupama Stadium in Lyon where they won 2-1.

Despite an OL handicapped by a serious episode of Covid-19 that occurred between the two rounds, this feat rewards several years of effort to compete with the historic rival, until finally being able to dominate him eye to eye and in turn endorse the favorite outfit of the C1, of which the Parisiennes were twice finalists (2015, 2017).

But "the hardest part is starting now," said Parisian coach Olivier Echouafni on Saturday.

In the half, in fact, PSG will still face a very strong party: FC Barcelona, ​​with its serial scorer Jenni Hermoso, has a fiery season: 100% of victories in the Spanish league, where Barcelona have the trifle of 17 points ahead.

Semi-finalists of the 2020 edition and finalists in 2019, the Azulgranas were impressive in the quarter-finals against the Manchester City of the American world champion Rose Lavelle, beaten 3-0 at Camp Nou.

"They are a very good team that have a very good chance of winning the Champions League," said City coach Gareth Taylor after the return quarter where his players inflicted their only defeat on Barcelona. this season, but insufficient (2-1).

In the other semi-final, the Bayern girls will try to forget the poor performance of their male counterparts, supporters of the men's C1 eliminated in the quarterfinals by PSG.

But they will have in front of them a formidable Chelsea team, which eliminated another German club, Wolfsburg, in the quarter-finals, with the manner by winning the two first and second matches against the reigning finalist of the C1.

The London club have made big investments in recent years to promote their women's team, led by their Danish star Pernille Harder.

Whatever the outcome of this semi-final, its winner will reach the C1 final for the first time.

Program of the semi-finals to go (in GMT hours):

Sunday

(13h00) Paris SG (FRA) - Barcelona (ESP)

(3:00 p.m.) Bayern Munich (GER) - Chelsea (ENG)

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