Matildas ace Ellie Carpenter has been given the perfect 24th birthday present -- by booking a shot at a third Women's Champions League triumph with Lyon.
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The Australian international defender was the toast of her teammates after their 2-1 victory in the semi-final second-leg at Paris St Germain on Sunday secured a 5-3 aggregate win and a place in the final against champions Barcelona.
They gathered around her at the end of the match at the Parc des Princes and sang 'Happy Birthday' to the dancing Matilda.
Now Carpenter has the remarkable opportunity to win a third Champions League winner's medal with Europe's most successful women's side at the tender age of 24.
She was a non-playing substitute in the final when they beat Wolfsburg in 2020 and, agonisingly, suffered an ACL injury early in the 2022 showdown that they won against Barcelona in Turin.
But now the Cowra star will be hoping to play a bigger part in the showpiece fixture of the women's game in Europe by facing the reigning champions again in Bilbao, Spain, on May 25, in a rematch of the 2019 and 2022 finals which were both won by Lyon.
The French giants will be going for a record-extending ninth title after goals from Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay secured a second win in a week over their domestic rivals.
After Lyon had won the first leg 3-2 at home, they quickly caught PSG off-guard in the third minute on Sunday, with a short corner that led to Bacha cutting inside to open the scoring with a low drive from the edge of the box.
They nearly doubled the lead in the 34th but PSG goalkeeper Constance Picaud pulled off an outstanding save to prevent teammate Jade Le Guilly from scoring an own goal.
Carpenter had her work cut out against PSG's brilliant Tabitha Chawinga but did, for the large part, a sterling job marshalling the Malawian international, who still managed to grab an equaliser four minutes before the break with an angled drive.
Carpenter picked up a booking for a second-half foul on Chawinga but her side continued to create the best chances with Picaud having to make a fine save from France forward Kadidiatou Diani in the 43rd minute, Dumornay in the 52nd and both Amel Majri and Dumornay again in the 65th.
They eventually put the tie to bed nine minutes from time when Majri crossed for 20-year-old Haiti international Dumornay, who slotted home to guarantee a record-extending 11th final for Lyon.
Barcelona had won Saturday's first semi-final, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit by defeating 10-player Chelsea 2-0 with goals from Aitana Bonmati and Fridolina Rolfo.
The victory was a controversial one with Chelsea boss Emma Hayes describing the key sending-off of Kadeisha Buchanan as the "worst in Women's Champions League history."
Australian Associated Press
