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The UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals get underway this weekend, with one matchup potentially featuring three Canadians playing in one of the biggest rivalries in club soccer.

Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain will renew hostilities when they clash in the first leg of their UWCL semifinal on Sunday at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. They’ll then travel to Parc des Princes in Paris for the second leg on Apr. 30 to determine who will advance to the Champions League final.

The matchup could see three Canadians on the field, with Ashley Lawrence and Jordyn Huitema playing for PSG and Kadeisha Buchanan now in her sixth season with Lyon.

Lawrence’s status for the weekend is uncertain. She missed Canada’s second game against Nigeria on Apr. 11 as well as PSG’s league game on Apr. 16 and was reported to have COVID.

If she is unable to play on Sunday, it would be a big loss for PSG. Lawrence, 26, has played all 90 minutes in all but one of her club’s Champions League games this season. She has recorded three assists, including setting up the game-winner in extra time that propelled the Parisian club past Bayern Munich in the quarter-final.

The native of Brampton, Ont. won her first-ever league title in Division 1 Féminine last year, but she has yet to lift the Champions League trophy. She’s looking to return to the final for the first time since 2017, her inaugural year with the club.

Awaiting on the other side is Lawrence’s childhood friend, Buchanan. The two have faced off numerous times since they each joined their respective teams after playing together for West Virginia University.

Like Lawrence, Buchanan has been a mainstay for her club, especially during the past two seasons. Buchanan became a regular starter last year after an injury to French defender Griedge Mbock saw the Canadian move up the depth chart to start alongside captain Wendie Renard at centre back.

Buchanan, 26, has continued to see regular minutes this year, even with the return of Mbock, who has shifted into the midfield. The native of Brampton, Ont. played every minute during Lyon’s current UWCL run, and had a two-goal performance against Benfica during last fall’s group stage.

She’s looking to lift the Champions League trophy for a fifth time with Lyon, to go along with four league titles.

This may be one of Buchanan’s final chances to earn one more championship with Lyon. According to reports, the Canadian centre back may be leaving for Real Madrid at the end of the season, when her contract ends.

Huitema, 20, is in her third year with PSG after turning professional after high school. Although she saw minimal minutes in PSG’s two quarterfinals matches, she recorded six goals in the group stage and still currently sits third in scoring for this UWCL campaign.

She recorded a first half hat trick against Ukrainian side Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv and added a brace versus Iceland’s Breidablik. Huitema, a native of Chilliwack, B.C., now has 12 Champions League goals in her career.
 

French Rivals

Sunday will be the latest matchup between French rivals with plenty of history between them. While Lyon has largely dominated Division 1 Féminine, winning a record 14 consecutive titles from 2007 to 2020, PSG has recently gotten the better of their rivals.

Last season, the Parisian club ended Lyon’s historic run and claimed the its first league title, edging out Olympique Lyonnais by a single point for top of the table. Lyon is currently sitting first in the league this season, five points ahead of PSG.

Earlier this year, Paris Saint-Germain knocked Olympique Lyonnais out of the Coupe de France with a 3-0 win in the round of 16. Lawrence set up Kadidiatou Diani for the second goal of the game.

Sunday will also be the fourth UWCL matchup between the two clubs since 2017. Last year, PSG ended Lyon’s run of five straight Champions League titles when they eliminated their rivals in the quarter-finals.

Lyon was up 1-0 on aggregate after the first leg, thanks to a late penalty by Renard, and stormed out an early lead in the second leg on a 4th-minute goal from American Catarina Macario. It looked like Lyon was well on its way, but Grace Geyoro tied the match before half-time, and a Renard own goal paved the way for PSG to advance on away goals, knocking out the seven-time champions.

In the 2019-20 UWCL campaign, the teams met in the semifinals, which was reduced to a single-leg match after being postponed due to COVID-19. Renard scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win, and Lyon would go on to beat Wolfsburg to claim their fifth-straight UWCL title.

The two teams have only met once in the final – in 2017. It also featured Buchanan and Lawrence facing off in their inaugural seasons as pros.

The match needed penalties after being deadlocked 0-0 through 120 minutes. Lawrence, just 10 days shy of her 22nd birthday, converted as the seventh kicker for PSG, but it came down to a battle between the goalkeepers from the spot.

After PSG’s Katarzyna Kiedrzynek missed the net on her attempt, Sarah Bouhaddi converted to give Lyon its fourth-ever Champions League title.