Beerensteyn lauds Wolfsburg for ´fighting for every metre´ in Lyon victory

Wolfsburg’s match-winner Lineth Beerensteyn hailed the team for “fighting for every metre” after winning their Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Lyon.

Beerensteyn scored the decisive goal in the 14th minute when her shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off Damaris Egurrola to wrongfoot Christiane Endler.

It extended Wolfsburg’s unbeaten streak in the Champions League to three matches (W2 D1), but they had to dig in to get the result.

Lyon piled the pressure on, having 19 shots worth 1.9 expected goals (xG), and hit the woodwork, though they only managed three shots on target.

Beerensteyn was particularly impressed with the fight her team showed to hold out for the victory.

“The difference was that we were really strong collectively,” she said.

“We fought for every metre, for every goal, and in the end we won 1-0.

“I’m so proud of this team; it was an amazing performance. If we show the same spirit as we did [at home], we can make it very difficult [in the second leg].”

#VfLWolfsburg #VfLWolfsburgFrauen #Wölfinnen pic.twitter.com/aOg7Vj7e1L

— VfL Wolfsburg Frauen (@VfL_Frauen) March 24, 2026

It was a sentiment echoed by head coach Stephan Lerch, who said, “The plan was to play with courage, especially in possession, and to keep the ball.

“In the second half, we had to suffer a little, but we defended with heart and with everything we had. I’m very proud of the team. It’s a great result for the first leg.”

Despite Lyon having more than double the number of shots that Wolfsburg did (seven), they struggled to find a breakthrough.

The defeat ended Lyon’s 18-match unbeaten run in away matches in the competition, with this their first defeat on the road in the Champions League since a 2-1 loss at Juventus in March 2022.

And head coach Jonatan Giraldez was left to rue their profligacy in the first leg.

“We created more chances than our opponents, but I think, in terms of our level, we didn’t have a perfect game,” he said.

“We conceded three or four transition situations where Wolfsburg were able to create chances. We’re used to having more control to avoid this type of situation.

“We came back into the game, we started to defend better, to attack better, to find spaces to create opportunities, but today it was not enough.”