The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Lyon offers itself an enchanted break

2020-08-09T17:34:27.884Z


After the feat against Juventus, President Aulas' players have nothing to lose in the Champions League. "My little finger tells me that we will be in the European Cup," slipped, mischievous, Jean-Michel Aulas last June. And to add: "Perhaps not at the level where you imagine it ..." Implied: "his" OL could create the surprise and lift the Champions League on August 23, in Lisbon, thus winning a ticket for the next edition of this same C1. Improbable? In any case, it is still possible. Because the Go...


"My little finger tells me that we will be in the European Cup," slipped, mischievous, Jean-Michel Aulas last June. And to add: "Perhaps not at the level where you imagine it ..." Implied: "his" OL could create the surprise and lift the Champions League on August 23, in Lisbon, thus winning a ticket for the next edition of this same C1. Improbable? In any case, it is still possible. Because the Gones have achieved a real feat by becoming the first French club to eliminate Juventus from Turin. Certainly, the nonuples of Italian champions shook Olympique Lyonnais until the end last Friday, in Turin. But the group of Rudi Garcia, courage and ... thanks to the Piedmontese clumsiness in front of Antony Lopes' goal, held on and only lost 2-1, doubled by Cristiano Ronaldo. After the 1-0 success in the first leg (1-0), five months ago, it was enough. “We were scared, but we knew that by scoring a goal we left ourselves a lot of opportunities to go further,” said Léo Dubois, on RMC Sport. “We were very strong, very united in order not to concede this third goal, analyzes Anthony Lopes. It was a big collective job. "

Winning picks

There were also the winning choices of Rudi Garcia, with this 3-5-2, the renewal of the young Maxence Caqueret (20 years) or Karl Toko Ekambi, preferred in front for his speed to Moussa Dembélé, at the kickoff. . Conversely, the orientations of the now ex-Turin coach, Maurizio Sarri, were not crowned with success. Like the bet Paulo Dybala, uncertain before the meeting and who returned in the 70th minute, to leave ... less than a quarter of an hour later. The thigh of the essential Argentine striker, best player in Serie A in 2019-2020, did not hold. “There was talent, suffering, an esprit de corps, solidarity,” notes Rudi Garcia. There was intelligence as well. We played with our hearts, but also with our heads. “Failing to be brilliant, the Lyonnais, dominated in three of the four halves of this double confrontation, showed heart, desire and discipline at all times.

"READ ALSO - Posters, timetables, format ... Everything about the" Final 8 "of the Champions League

And they thus offer themselves an enchanted parenthesis in a season that has long looked like a nightmare. A time dropped in the standings, the OL players were finally in seventh place when the championship was stopped, just behind the European wagon. Swept in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France against PSG (1-5), in March, they bowed ... on penalties in the final of the League Cup, against these same Parisians at the end of July (0-0 after , 5-6 tab). Cruel ... All while Jean-Michel Aulas fought like hell to claim the resumption of Ligue 1, going as far as the Council of State. In vain… The specter of a first season without a European Cup for twenty-two years is more concrete than ever on the banks of the Rhône. Lyon has only one solution: to win the C1. At the start, Olympique Lyonnais was not already one of the favorites for the final victory. And a coronation becomes even more unlikely given the program that awaits them in Portugal. In quarterfinals, Saturday August 15, they will have to rub shoulders with Manchester City.

Appetite

In the event of an exploit, it would be necessary to measure against FC Barcelona or Bayern Munich, August 19, in semi-finals. The format of the competition (see opposite) opens the door to surprises, but all the same… “We know that we have a way to go which is a real path to the Champions League, recognizes coach Garcia. Manchester City is superior to us. But Juve were too. That did not prevent us from qualifying. We must not set limits. This is good: the Lyonnais have an appetite. They were already showing their ambitions before going to Turin. And even more since. “Having taken out Juventus in the 8th, we have to see higher. We have the right! We believe in it. We know that, to go to the end, there will only be big ones on our way. It's up to us to show that we are one of these great Europeans, ”says Lopes.

"READ ALSO - Lopes displays his ambitions:" We have the right to see higher "

Life-size test against the Citizens of Pep Guardiola, all the more motivated as they had to give up their title of champion of England in Liverpool. It remains to be seen whether, after several months of hiatus, OL can compete in terms of pace and physical condition, not to mention playing and football, with players who have finished their season in the Premier League. President Aulas has often lambasted the authorities on this subject, saying that Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain would be at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the competition. Against PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue and Turin, Lyon has however been able to respond physically. Rebelote against Man. City?

Read also

  • Garcia: "We played with our heart but also with our head"

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2020-08-09

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.