A MELCHIE DUMORNAY double sent Arsenal crashing back down to reality in their first Champions League game since they were crowned queens of Europe.
The 22-year-old took advantage of some defensive disasters to set Renee Slegers and Co back on the opening day of the new-look league phase.
Her brace came after a bright start for Arsenal, with Alessia Russo firing the Gunners into an early lead.
Beth Mead perfectly teed up the striker by poking the ball through after breaking into the box with some great individual skill, with Russo drilling her strike into the bottom-right corner.
OL Lyonnes quickly hit back to pile the pressure on the reigning champions, with Dumornay capitalising on a terrible pass out from Daphne van Domselaar before slotting her shot into a bare net with ease.
Another mistake saw Arsenal concede again just a few minutes later when a failed clearance by 19-year-old Katie Reid – which came after Mariona Caldentey lost possession to Lindsey Heaps – was picked up by Domornay, who rifled her strike into the top-left of the goal.
The Gunners almost equalised just after half-time when Caldentey’s effort was deflected over by the fingertips of Christiane Endler.
But that was about the best chance they had in the second half as the visitors continued to pin them back.
Speaking after the game, Arsenal captain Kim Little said: “Not the result we wanted.
“But there were positives to take, especially after our previous performances in the league.
“We made mistakes but we showed resilience to stick in it to the end. We keep going, we keep working together.
“We know it can’t be perfect all the time. We’ll come back stronger.
“We’ve got such quality in this team, as we’ve shown on many occasions.
“It’s a different format – with that comes a cup final every match.”
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