And at the end of the suspense, Baptiste Couilloud gives victory to LOU (37-35) and stuns Racing.
The international scrum-half concludes an 80-meter action two minutes from time.
A blow for the Ile-de-France residents who believed they were holding onto their success.
❌ 𝐹𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ and short defeat for Racing despite good intentions
Bravo to @LeLOURugby for their victory!
𝐽𝑢𝑎𝑛 𝐼𝑚ℎ𝑜𝑓𝑓 💬 Very disappointed, the job is done but it does not pay off ... the little details make a huge difference # LOUR92 pic.twitter.com/BSEOwn3tpX
- Racing 92 (@ racing92) January 2, 2022
It was the last meeting before the gauges.
After that, there will be fewer people on the stands.
Not sure, however, that there is less atmosphere than this Sunday evening at the end of the holiday season at the Gerland stadium.
The Lyon audience seemed so sleepy that the voices of the players echoed as if they had played behind closed doors.
It is true that on the ground, the spectacle did not reach summits.
How could it be otherwise?
At kickoff, the Racingmen, affected by the Covid-19 last week, come out of three weeks without competition and did not resume training until Tuesday evening.
They lack executives like Fickou, Thomas or Beale.
The Lyonnais, them, can not keep the rank to which they are promised.
Too inconstant, too imprecise, they bear no resemblance to the surgical rigor of their manager Pierre Mignoni.
The Ciel et Blancs quickly sensed the right thing, they who have been floundering since the start of the season in a Top 14 which seems to be unfolding without them.
They have, in any case, responded tit for tat.
Action reaction.
A scenario summarized in two movements, at the very start of the match.
After one minute and forty-two seconds of play, the Lyon opener Léo Berdeu (author of 27 points) finds himself under the posts of Ile-de-France.
Four minutes later, it was the turn of sky and white winger Juan Imhoff to flatten behind the line after a relay from Virimi Vakatawa on an opening at the foot of Antoine Gibert.
The rest ?
A ping-pong, a crossover over a confused match that finally turned in favor of Lyon.
