Both the International Champions Cup and Women’s Cup kicked off Wednesday, with plenty of action in both tournaments.
The semifinal matches in Portland brought high stakes, as each ended in penalty kicks to decide the winner.
While the NWSL’s Thorns jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute on their home turf, Liga MX Femenil club Monterrey pulled even in the 68th minute, then won the game 3-2 on penalties.
The other match of the night, though, provided the real fireworks. Olympique Lyonnais bested Chelsea 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw that featured highlight-reel goals.
Sam Kerr got the scoring started in the eighth minute to put Chelsea ahead 1-0. The club would go up 2-0 before Lindsey Horan got Lyon on the board in the 76th minute.
SAM KERR’S GOAL IN SPANISH IS ALL THE ENERGY WE CAME FOR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Gxo6JiaJ7Z— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 18, 2022
SAM KERR’S GOAL IN SPANISH IS ALL THE ENERGY WE CAME FOR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Gxo6JiaJ7Z
YES, YES. Horan is the winner. What a goaaal 💥 pic.twitter.com/at56CzAHqF— Women's International Champions Cup (@iccwomen) August 18, 2022
YES, YES. Horan is the winner. What a goaaal 💥 pic.twitter.com/at56CzAHqF
Lyon equalized with a Signe Bruun goal in 88th minute, which eventually forced the penalty shootout.
Lyon and Monterrey will play in the championship match at 11 p.m. ET Saturday. Chelsea and Portland will play in the third-place match at 8 p.m. ET.
In Louisville, Racing Louisville and OL Reign will face off for the title after winning their semifinal matches. This marks the second-straight year that Louisville will play in the championship match after winning it last year.
OL Reign beat Club América 2-1, with Olivia Van der Jagt recording the winning goal in the 82nd minute.
Louisville, meanwhile, looked dominant against AC Milan, winning 2-0 off goals from Nadia Nadim and newcomer Wang Shuang, who got her first goal in a Louisville uniform. For her efforts, Shuang was named the Most Valuable Player of the match.
Off the volley, @wangshuang7 doubles our lead. 🔥2-0 | #LOUvACM pic.twitter.com/IoMsMfOyu1— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) August 18, 2022
Off the volley, @wangshuang7 doubles our lead. 🔥2-0 | #LOUvACM pic.twitter.com/IoMsMfOyu1