Women’s Champions League: OL Lyonnes and Juventus draw, Arsenal beats Real Madrid

Record eight-time champion OL Lyonnes rallied from three goals down at halftime to salvage a 3-3 draw at Juventus in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday.

Defending champion Arsenal also came back, beating Real Madrid 2-1 at home with striker Alessia Russo scoring twice.

Earlier, veteran Lyon defender Wendie Renard, who has scored more than 150 goals for Lyon, equalized with a well-taken penalty in the 90th minute following a handball by Juventus captain Cecilia Salvai.

Lyon found itself 3-0 down at halftime as forward Chiara Beccari tormented the defense. After scoring in the 12th minute with a lob from the right, Beccari was involved in goals for striker Michela Cambiaghi and midfielder Tatiana Pinto.

Lyon replied through Tabitha Chawinga in the 60th and substitute Marie-Antoinette Katoto in the 79th.

Elsewhere, Dutch duo Ella Peddemors and Lineth Beerensteyn scored two each as two-time champion Wolfsburg beat Manchester United 5-2 at home.

Unbeaten Lyon leads with 10 points from four games in the 18-team standings while Wolfsburg and United have nine points along with Barcelona.

Sixth-place Real Madrid has seven points — one more than Arsenal, which is eighth after a second win in four games.

The top four enter the quarterfinals and teams placed fifth to 12th join the knockout playoffs while the bottom six are eliminated.

Russo rescues Arsenal

Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir volleyed into the bottom corner in the 43rd after Arsenal’s defense failed to clear a free kick from the right.

Russo’s looping header from a right-wing cross early into the second half drew Arsenal level at Meadow Park and she scored with another header, this time from Beth Mead’s left-wing corner, in the 67th.

Juventus comes close

Lyon deployed a three-pronged attack featuring Ada Hegerberg, Chawinga and Kadidiatou Diani.

But Hegerberg lost the ball in midfield and, following a quick break, Beccari’s shot looped over goalkeeper Christiane Endler.

The second came in the 27th following another move down the right, which was led by Beccari and ended with Cambiaghi poking Pinto’s low cross past Endler, who was slow off the line after being easily beaten on the first goal.

Beccari’s slick pass was cleverly dummied by Amalie Vangsgaard on the edge of the area and Pinto ran through to score in the 37th for seventh-placed Juventus.

Juventus goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, who was born in Lyon and started her career there, was beaten by Chawinga’s low shot from the left on the hour.

Katoto headed in a cross with 10 minutes remaining before Salvai’s clear handball from a right-wing cross gave Lyon a lifeline.

Dutch pair sink United

Sweden winger Fridolina Rolfö put United ahead in the 14th against her former team, but Wolfsburg equalized three minutes later through Peddemors.

Peddemors scored again in the 37th and Beerensteyn’s fine shot into the top corner made it 3-1 in the 45th, only for French forward Melvine Malard to net in first-half stoppage time.

Beerensteyn pounced again midway through the second half and Vivien Endemann added the fifth deep into stoppage time.

Other matches

Paris FC beat Benfica 2-0 with goals from 18-year-old Maeline Mendy and Maelle Garbino either side of halftime. The visitors had Danish midfielder Caroline Møller sent off in the 30th at Stade Jean Bouin.

Vålerenga went 2-0 up inside 20 minutes against St. Pölten of Austria but the visitors hit back to draw 2-2 in Oslo. ___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer