Lyon needs Renard and Hegerberg to shine against Arsenal in women's CL semis, Barca faces Chelsea

PARIS (AP) — When Wendie Renard scored in front of 14,000 fans in the women's Champions League final 14 years ago, she helped Lyon win the trophy for the first time.

Seven more titles and much bigger crowds have followed since for Renard and Lyon, along with a truck-load of domestic trophies.

The 34-year-old Frenchwoman has scored more than 150 goals for the club in almost 500 appearances, a remarkable ratio for a central defender.

Lyon teammate Ada Hegerberg — the first Ballon d’Or winner — is in her 11th season at the club and has won the competition six times. She scored a hat trick in the 4-1 rout of Barcelona in the 2019 final.

They are among the most iconic names in women's soccer and Lyon might need big performances from both to win a record-extending ninth European crown.

Lyon's last victory came three years ago and since then Barcelona has taken over as the leading team in the sport. The Catalan giant is going for a third straight title and fourth overall.

Barcelona is led by the flair and drive of two-time Ballon d'Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí. They have shared the last four awards, making it four straight for the club, and both scored in last year's final against Lyon in front of a record crowd of 51,000.

Lyon and Barcelona have met in the final in three of the past six seasons and could clash again — provided they get past Arsenal and Chelsea in the semifinals.

Lyon travels to Arsenal for a lunchtime first leg on Saturday and Barcelona hosts Chelsea on Sunday evening.

When Lyon won the Champions League for the first time, it beat Arsenal in the semifinals.

The second legs are held the following Sunday, with the final taking place on May 24 at Lisbon’s 50,000-capacity Estádio José Alvalade.

North Londoner Arsenal won the tournament in 2007 when it was called the Super Cup, and is the only English team to do so. West Londoner Chelsea has reached the final once, in 2021, but was routed 4-0 as Barca won its first title.

The contest was so one-sided that Barcelona scored after 32 seconds and was 4-0 up at the break.

If Arsenal and Chelsea get through it would be only the third same-nation final in the competition.

Chelsea overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to knock out Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to goals from Frenchwoman Sandy Baltimore, Swede Nathalie Björn and Colombian Mayra Ramírez.

In the first leg, City had ended Chelsea’s long unbeaten run under coach Sonia Bompastor.

The 44-year-old Frenchwoman won the competition twice as a player with Lyon and once as a coach — when Lyon beat Barcelona 3-1 in 2022 in front of 32,000 fans.

It was business as usual for Barcelona, which routed 2023 runner-up Wolfsburg 6-1 in the second leg for a 10-2 aggregate victory.

Winger Salma Paralluelo and forward Clàudia Pina each scored twice as Barcelona took its goal tally to 36 in eight games, while María León and Putellas showed their passing skills.

Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 6-1 on aggregate with Hegerberg among the scorers. In-form England striker Alessia Russo netted twice as Arsenal advanced with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid after losing 2-0 in Spain.

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

FILE - Olympique Lyonnais soccer player Ada Hegerberg celebrates with the Women's Ballon d'Or award during the Golden Ball award ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

Spain's Aitana Bonmati, right, challenges for the ball with Portugal's Dolores Silvia during the Women¥s Nations League Group A3 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Balaidos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lalo Villar)

Liverpool's Olivia Smith and Chelsea's Sandy Baltimore, right, battle for the ball during the Women's FA Cup semi-final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Kingsmeadow in London, Saturday April 12, 2025. (Rhianna Chadwick/PA via AP)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)