Malawi’s France-based female football icon Tabitha Chawinga says her team Olympique Lyonnaise’s exit from the Uefa Women’s Champions League on Sunday was “a hard pill to swallow”.
The record eight-time women’s European champions saw their rosy world crumble when they were sent packing by Arsenal 5-2 on aggregate following a 1-4 defeat at home in the semi-finals.
This was after winning the first leg 2-1 away at the Emirates Stadium in London last week.
It was the second successive time for Tabitha to bow out at the semi-final stage having failed to reach the final last year while at French side Paris Saint Germain (PSG) following a 5-3 aggregate loss to her current team.
The Scorchers captain said apart from the honour that comes with winning the elite competition, it would have also boosted her chances of being considered for major awards.
Said the 2024 French women’s top-flight golden boot winner and Most Valuable Player: “Reaching the semi-finals again and not advancing further is a hard pill to swallow. It was another painful experience.
“We believed in ourselves and in the journey. Despite the disappointment, I’m grateful for the experience and the growth that comes with playing the Champions League at this level.
“I am confident that here at Lyon, we will continue to fight with everything we have until the dream is achieved.”
Tabitha has repeatedly been quoted by international media outlets such as BBC, SkySport and France 24 that winning the Uefa Women’s Champions League is her ultimate goal.
National Women’s Football Association chairperson Adellaide Migogo described it as a disappointment for Tabitha,
She said: “After the first leg victory, we had hope that we would see her playing in the final for the first time. So, it is a huge setback and I understand how she feels.
“But it’s not the end of the world, ultimately she will realise her dream.”
This season, Tabitha has been the fastest player in the women’s Champions League, clocking a top speed of 31.3 kilometrem per hour, just slightly ahead of her team-mate Ellie Carpenter.
Despite scoring only nine times herself, that speed has stretched opposition back-line and given Lyon other players the space to score over 100 goals this season.
Last year, Lyon lost in the final to Barcelona and had they won on Sunday. It would have given them a chance for revenge against the team they have faced in three Champions League finals, coming out on top in two of them before losing last year’s title.
BBC reported: “The home side were poor. Victims of their own self destruction, they gave the ball away cheaply and made costly errors for the goals.”
It is the first time Lyon have conceded four goals at home since October 2022, when Arsenal inflicted a 5-1 demolition in the Champions League group stage.
