An exception to the rule. A few hours after the signing of the Italian government decree now prohibiting any game on Italian soil ... except international competitions. The Lyon under-19 team played a knockout round of the Youth League (the equivalent of the Youth Champions League) against Atalanta Bergamo in Florence. The young Lyonnais won on penalties (3-3 after 90 minutes).
"It is a great satisfaction," says the director of the OL training center, Jean-François Vulliez, present on site within a delegation from 33 Lyonnais. The players were fantastic, they came back three times (Editor's note: from 0-2 to 2-2 then from 2-3 to 3-3) . And then it gives a good image of OL and French football. The context made us even more cohesive. When players know it's going to be difficult, they raise their level.
Did the context influence the match?
JEAN-FRANCOIS VULLIEZ. We had the same preparation program as usual. Afterwards, we tried to protect the players as much as possible so that they asked themselves as few questions as possible. The Italian decree fell last night (Editor's note: Monday) . The players are also connected. They knew there was a risk of not playing. Our ambition was to keep them centered on the match, that they do not disperse. We took the usual precautions to be as little as possible in contact with Italians. The hotel was out of the way, there were very few people inside (note: OL also chartered a private plane for its young people).
Were players afraid?
We have not had any feedback on this. We wanted to create a climate of trust as much as possible. If we went to Italy, it was because we had the permits. Families were also in contact with us. Several of them called me. They wanted to know if their children were going to be able to go home this Wednesday evening. Everyone had to be reassured.
How is life in Florence? Are the streets empty?
Italians live rather normally. Afterwards, we were quite confined to the hotel. We see a few people with masks. At the airport, when we arrived on Tuesday, we were greeted by people in combination with a mask to take the temperature, we thought we were in a movie (laughs) . All the people who return to the territory are controlled in this way.