Here between Moussa Dembélé and Houssem Aouar, Lucas Tousart celebrates his decisive goal with the Lyon supporters. L. PHILIPPE DESMAZES – AFP
- Sometimes brilliant and all the time in solidarity, the OL players overcame Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juve on Wednesday (1-0).
- This huge performance in the Champions League, which suggests a possible feat in three weeks in Italy, falls a little from the sky in view of the current difficulties in Ligue 1.
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At Parc OL,
In the stubborn misconceptions of our beloved Ligue 1, ”
OL irregular in the game, capable of the best as of the worst ”has been in a good position for many months. Because if you look closely, especially in its stadium, where it displays the 16th assessment of the championship, this team on the contrary presents a copy most often almost identical, between boredom and accounting mess in the race for
Europe.
But this report was shattered for good Wednesday evening with an XXL performance against Juventus Turin (1-0). Namely the most prestigious success in a European knockout match since the famous 8th final first leg of the Champions League won (1-0), ten years ago, against Real Madrid … by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain.
“Everyone expected us to take our pants on”
“Even if it was only the first round, we all needed that, “recognizes
Lucas Tousart, probably the first surprised by the fluidity of his goal on Wednesday (1-0, 31st). Evoking “a thrilling end of the season”, despite a 7th place in Ligue 1 which could deprive OL of the Champions League next season, the defensive midfielder now on loan from Hertha Berlin is one of the symbols of this amazing Lyon, exciting and unpredictable at the best possible time.
How could a team unable to get chances this month at Parc OL against Amiens (0-0) and Strasbourg (1-1) be able to topple the winner of the last eight Serie A games in the first period? ? “Everyone expected us to take a pair of pants back and forth and we were able to live up to this Champions League,” says Anthony Lopes. We played well together and then we all suffered together, especially at the end of the match. It’s really a group win. “
?? Lyon earn first ever win over Juventus #UCL pic.twitter.com/UHXita6paa
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 26, 2020
“The coach’s game plan was decisive”
A group without fluidity, technical accuracy or even ambition in the game since the dawn of time, but which suddenly woke up on a big meeting. “There was a very good first period in which we played and then a second where we had to hang on with self-sacrifice and solidarity,” explains Rudi Garcia. I liked both faces and the boys were able to put themselves at the level of the event. “
Starting with him, the coach who so often misses big games, and who managed to thwart Juve with his 3-5-2. “The coach’s game plan was decisive and extremely well respected, praises Anthony Lopes: he wanted to prevent players like Dybala or Cristiano from turning around before gaining speed and eliminating or hitting. The two stars of the Turin attack were well restrained, and Houssem Aouar even offered himself the luxury of dragging an exquisite little bridge to the Argentine international.
This cheeky Houssem Aouar nutmeg wins Skill of the Day! ??
#UCLSOTD | @MasterCard pic.twitter.com/XPNJDRHPSe
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 26, 2020
“We are starting to live better together”
If there were a few esthetic sequences on Wednesday, there was above all an amazing expenditure of energy, with 118 km traveled during this match by the whole team (against 113 for Juve). “Faced with such a team, the match demanded that we back off in the second period, but we felt strong defensively,” said Fernando Marçal.
So much so that despite big heatstrokes on his goal, Anthony Lopes offered himself a clean sheet against Juve by Cristiano Ronaldo, a year after having done the same against Barça by Lionel Messi (0-0). Here, would OL have an incredible difficulty in presenting the same rigor, consistency and determination in lesser posters? The sports director
Juninho addressed the issue on Wednesday evening at the RMC Sport microphone.
There, it was an almost perfect performance. We have to keep our humility and our serenity, it’s just the first game. We are starting to live better together and take on a little more responsibility. It’s a young group that’s not really hungry, and it’s not the same team that played here against Dijon, Metz, Bordeaux, Lille, Rennes. There, we raised our level of concentration while releasing a collective energy. “
? “It’s just the first game, but it shows that we have quality.”
? The reaction of Juninho, the sports director of OL, to the microphone of RMC Sport after #OLJuve.
? #UCL #ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/3537wo3L1u
– RMC Sport (@RMCsport) February 26, 2020
“We are not going to go to Turin as victims”
Is there a recipe for repeating this type of performance, starting with the derby on Sunday and the semi-final of the Coupe de France against PSG next Wednesday? “I think the team is really capable of producing this kind of performance every weekend,” says Anthony Lopes. We needed a benchmark match. “
“I hope we have just realized that we have a big team,” said Léo Dubois. On this side, there is no doubt in having if we are to believe Houssem Aouar, one of the big guys of the success against Juve, “We are not going to go to Turin as victims, warns the Hope community on RMC Sport. We will of course play our game, and we will go with great ambition. This word has been ringing so well since Wednesday in the mouths of the players of this OL.
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