Champions League (F): “I feel good”, assures Delphine Cascarino after her double

Lyon striker Delphine Cascarino, scorer of a double in OL's victory over Benfica Lisbon (4-1), Wednesday at Groupama stadium in the quarter-final second leg of the Champions League, declared “feeling pretty good on the pitch”, ten months after suffering a serious right knee injury.

The player, who had to undergo surgery, was injured on May 21 in a match against Paris Saint-Germain and had to withdraw from the 2023 World Cup. She returned to competition on January 28 before meet the French team in February for the final four of the Nations League.

“I feel pretty good on the pitch. I hope to continue to help the team achieve the goals. I no longer think about my injury at all. I can play 90 minutes. I play like before and that’s it,” she said after the match against Benfica.

Cascarino (27), who also scored in the first leg to equalize for a 2-1 victory, was also voted player of the match on Wednesday. “It was a fairly difficult and contested match, especially in the first half. We rectified things at half-time to be able to win,” she commented.

“The whole team took matters into their own hands. In the first half, without the work of Eugénie (Le Sommer) I couldn't score the first goal. And after half-time, without the good calls from Melchie (Dumornay) who takes the opponents to the side, I don't have the opening to strike. It’s teamwork that achieves both goals,” she said.

“We went up a notch compared to previous matches. We had a favorable draw for the group stage and we had a very good Benfica team against us. She didn't make it easy for us but that's good because it pushes us to give the best of ourselves to win this kind of match,” added the international who hopes to “go all the way” in the Champions League.

Previously, OL could face another French club, Paris Saint-Germain, who must face the Swedes of Häcken on Thursday (9:00 p.m.) at the Parc des Princes.

“If we have to play against Paris, we will play against Paris. We know this team very well. We are used to playing it. “It’s the assurance of having a French team in the final and it will be positive for French women’s football,” she concluded.