Lyonnes into Women's Champions League final after beating Arsenal in thrilling second leg

Lyon, who have claimed the title eight times in their previous incarnation as Olympique Lyonnais, now advance to confront either Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Those clubs will contest their return fixture in Spain this Sunday, following a 1-1 stalemate from last week.

The French side kicked off with real purpose, seeing an initial goal from a free kick ruled out, yet they soon went ahead. This came after Melchie Dumornay was brought down inside the penalty area by Lotte Wubben-Moy, prompting the official to consult the monitor and grant a spot kick.

Wendie Renard converted the penalty on her retry, having seen her initial shot parried by Daphne van Domselaar, who had crept prematurely off her line.

Kadidiatou Diani then latched onto a corner at the far upright, volleying in to extend the advantage to 2-0 just shy of half time, putting Lyon 3-2 up overall in the aggregate.

Arsenal, who had displayed much more vigour in claiming a 2-1 victory at home during the opener, finally sparked into life. They pulled one back in the 76th minute via Alessia Russo, who slipped past a pair of markers to direct Smilla Holmbergs delivery into the net.

It appeared the contest might stretch into additional periods, but Delphine Brand pounced on a through ball from Dumornay. She slotted home neatly with her left boot in the 86th minute, guiding her team to a 12th appearance in the Women's Champions League showpiece.

The decisive encounter is scheduled for Oslo on 23 May.