Caicedo stars as Real Madrid defeats Arsenal 2-0 in women's Champions League, Lyon beats Bayern

Linda Caicedo shined on a rainy evening in the Spanish capital as Real Madrid beat Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg of the women’s Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Eight-time champion Lyon is eying the semifinals after a 2-0 win at Bayern Munich in their first-leg quarterfinal thanks to goals from Tabitha Chawinga and Melchie Dumornay.

Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa Grohs saved Lindsey Heaps’ penalty before the break and made a host of other saves, too.

Caicedo, the 20-year-old Colombia star, opened the scoring in Madrid's Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium and proved a constant source of torment for the Arsenal defenders. Substitute Athenea grabbed the second goal late to put the Spanish side in a promising position to reach the semifinals.

Caicedo capitalized on Arsenal defender Leah Williamson’s botched effort to cut out Signe Bruun’s pass when she took a couple of strides forward to hold off Arsenal’s Emily Fox and fired the ball inside the left post in the 22nd minute.

Beth Mead went closest for Arsenal before the break.

Madrid suffered a blow in the 63rd when Melanie Leupolz went off with an apparent right knee injury after kicking the ball. The 16-year-old Irune Dorado went on in the German midfielder’s place.

Arsenal responded with a period of sustained pressure, albeit without reward, and Athenea scored on a counterattack in the 82nd. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger got her hand to the ball but couldn’t keep Athenea's powerful shot out.

“We knew how to endure,” Madrid coach Alberto Toril said. “In the Champions League there are important matches that you need to know how to play and that have many mini-matches within the games, and I think we did very well.”

Lyon and Arsenal will host their respective second-leg quarterfinal matches next Wednesday.

Madrid, a powerhouse in men’s soccer with a record 15 European titles, is bidding to reach the semifinals for the first time. The Spanish club was late to women’s soccer in comparison to rivals, only forming its women’s team after completing a merger and acquisition of another women’s soccer club in 2020.

The big clubs' belated investments in women's soccer have had an adverse effect on clubs like Sweden's Umeå IK and Germany's Turbine Potsdam.

The other quarterfinal matches are on Wednesday, when Wolfsburg faces defending champion Barcelona at home, before Manchester City hosts English rival Chelsea.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bayern's Sarah Zadrazil, center, stands with her teammates during a break in the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyonnais at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Lyon's Melchie Dumornay celebrates with teammate Lindsey Heaps, right, after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyonnais at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Lyon's Wendie Renard, Selma Bacha and goalkeeper Christiane Endler, from left, celebrate at the end of the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyonnais at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Lyon's Wendie Renard, Selma Bacha and goalkeeper Christiane Endler, from left, celebrate at the end of the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyonnais at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Real Madrid's Signe Bruun, centre, runs towards her team mate Caicedo who scored the opening goal during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid's Melanie Leupolz, left, is helped off the pitch after getting hurt during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid's Athenea del Castillo , centre, celebrates with Real Madrid's captain Olga Carmona, right, after scoring his side's second goal during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid's Athenea del Castillo , right, celebrates after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid's Athenea del Castillo shoots to score her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid players celebrate at the end of the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Arsenal's goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger reacts at the end of the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Arsenal's Chloe Kelly, left is chased by Real Madrid's Olga Carmona during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Arsenal's Emily Fox, centre, and Real Madrid's Linda Caicedo, right, challenge for the ball during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid's Linda Caicedo runs with the ball during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

Real Madrid's Athenea del Castillo , centre, celebrates with Real Madrid's captain Olga Carmona, right, after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Erik and Lyle Menendez could learn this week whether they will get reduced sentences — and the chance of freedom — nearly 30 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents.

A Los Angeles judge will preside over the resentencing hearing that's expected to last two days starting Thursday. The judge could rule during the hearing or issue a written decision later. If he shortens their sentences, the brothers would still need approval from the state's parole board to leave prison.

The district attorney’s office filed a motion late Wednesday to delay the resentencing hearings so prosecutors can obtain the state parole board's comprehensive risk assessments. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the assessments in February and the brothers' final risk assessment hearings are scheduled for June 13. Prosecutors said in their filing that the parole board has already completed its reports.

The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their entertainment executive father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.

The case has captured the public’s attention for decades, and the Netflix drama “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ” and documentary “The Menendez Brothers" have been credited with bringing new attention to the case. Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in recent few months.

The resentencing hearing will center on whether the brothers have been rehabilitated in prison and deserve a lesser sentence of 50 years to life. That would make them eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law because they committed the crime when they were younger than 26.

Former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón asked a judge last year to reduce the brothers’ sentences. He lost reelection to Nathan Hochman, who moved to withdraw the resentencing request and has argued the brothers have not taken full responsibility for their crimes.

A resentencing petition laid out by Gascón focuses on the brothers' accomplishments and rehabilitation. The brothers' attorneys say their clients have worked hard over the decades to better themselves and give back to the prison community. The extended Menendez family, with the exception of an uncle who died last month, has said they fully forgive the brothers for what they did and want them to be freed.

With Hochman in charge, prosecutors argued last Friday they could not support the brothers’ resentencing. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic ruled the resentencing hearings could continue despite their opposition.

Prosecutors have said the brothers have not admitted to lies told during their trial about why they killed their parents, or that they asked their friends to lie for them in court. Hochman's office has also said it does not believe that the brothers were sexually abused by their father and that by speaking about their childhood abuse, they have not taken complete responsibility for the crime.

FILE - This combination of two booking photos provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez. (California Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Anamaria Baralt, cousin of Erik and Lyle Menendez, speaks after a hearing in the brothers' case Friday, April 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Attorney Mark Geragos speaks after a hearing regarding the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez Friday, April 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)