Lily Yohannes has said that OL Lyonnes ‘want to be dominant’ as her side look for their ninth UWCL title and their first since 2022.
Yohannes was speaking to the media ahead of OL Lyonnes’ visit to the Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo Lamarmora to face Juventus on Wednesday night and The Halfway Line was present to hear from the mercurial American midfielder.
Lily Yohannes says OL Lyonnes ‘want to be dominant’
Both the youngest player ever to start a UEFA Women’s Champions League match and the youngest American to do so, Yohannes is no stranger to making history. The American grew up in the USA before moving to Netherlands when she was 10 years old, since joining OL Lyonnes, Yohannes has won the domestic treble but will be eager to add the UWCL to her trophy cabinet as soon as she can.
Each year there is some level of discourse about whether the supposed poor quality of the French league means, OL Lyonnes are not as well prepared for their European challenge, that was put to Yohannes,
“No, I think it really just speaks to our quality” Yohannes smiled. “We take every game as a Champions League game. We take it like we want to win, we want to score a lot of goals. We want to be dominant. So no matter the matchup, we [bring] our A game.
“We have a large squad with everybody used, and everybody comes for the occasion. I think in the league, we’re scoring so many goals, we’re winning, and in the Champions League as well, you know, against Inter we score six goals as well.
“So I think it just shows that we want to dominate, and that’s the message we want to send to ourselves to have this good feeling, this collective feeling, which will drive us for the coming games and for the rest of the league as well as in the rest of the Champions League.”
‘I just thought: Go for it’ Yohannes explains wonder-strike
One of the most astonishing goals you’re likely to see in the UWCL came in OL Lyonnes’ last outing, as Yohannes took aim from closer to the halfway line than the box against Inter Milan, the rest as they say, is history.
All angles of THAT Lily Yohannes goal 😮💨
#UWCL || @ol__lyonnes https://t.co/pkV9NOnDLm
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) November 3, 2026
Yohannes was asked to explain just how she managed to pull it off,
“Yeah, I think it’s just maybe a quality of mine is my vision” Yohannes earnestly explained. “I’m always scanning the pitch. So when I got into that position, I saw the keeper off her line, I just thought: Go for it.
“I think it was almost a year from the time I did it before in against St. Pölten. So I’m happy I tried it, and I’m happy it went in. And I guess I will keep trying if it’s possible but yeah, really happy to score that goal, and it was an exciting moment.”
Juventus are ‘a tough side’ says Lily Yohannes
Up next in Europe for the French champions is Juventus in Turin, a tricky task that OL Lyonnes are more familiar with than most. The two sides have faced each other multiple times in the past few years including last year, where OL Lyonnes recovered from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 away in Italy. Yohannes was asked about the challenge posed by Juventus,
“We know from last season that Juventus is a tough side” she said. “We know that we have to come and start fast, obviously, we can take things from last year, but also it’s a new season. We know that we’re in a good way, we are feeling good from our last results, and we know that Juventus has some quality as well.
“So we just have to analyze like we have been doing, their play, but also stay true to ourselves and stay true to our game plan. We know that if we do this, we can come out with a result.”
Alex Morgan vote ‘really special’ beams Yohannes
Last month, the biggest awards ceremony in football took place in London, the Ballon d’Or, and Lily Yohannes was among the nominees. Despite receiving the nod for Best Young Player in Europe, Yohannes did not attend the ceremony instead focusing on the UWCL match that took place that week with her team-mates.
While Yohannes did not end up winning the award, she was placed in the top two by players like Alessia Russo and Pernille Harder while USWNT legend Alex Morgan voted her as the Best Young Player in world football. The Halfway Line put that fact to Yohannes,
“Yeah, I think it’s really amazing” she said as a grin grew unstoppably across her face. “I’ve been lucky enough to be in national team camps and play with her [Alex Morgan].
“She’s such a legend of the game, a legend for the national team. So to have someone like her vote for me as as [number] one on the Copa Trophy, I think [it] is really special.
“I’m really grateful for her and for the time that I’ve been able to spend with her in camps and seeing her in action, I guess you could say she’s someone who I looked up to as a kid, and to get that recognition from her, means a lot.”
Where can I watch the UWCL this season?
You can catch Yohannes’ OL Lyonnes side taking on Juventus in the UWCL on Wednesday night from 8pm, learn more about where you can watch the match and all the other European action this season here: https://wheretowatch.uefa.com/
