2023-12-16 00:50:13
Friday evening at the opening of the sixteenth day of Ligue 1, the Lyonnais snatched a precious victory (0-1) in Monaco.
Tops
OL is no longer at the bottom of the red
Who could have predicted that this would one day be an event? Accustomed to playing leading roles in the League and fighting for Europe, OL are experiencing one of the worst seasons in their history. Since October 22 and a defeat against Clermont (1-2), the Rhone club occupied eighteenth place in the French championship. Six weeks later, thanks to this victory against the third in Ligue 1, the seven-time French champion finally abandons his place at the bottom of the class. While awaiting the results from Lorient, Clermont and Toulouse, Pierre Sage’s men find themselves in sixteenth place, tied on points with Téfécé. After two successes in two matches against Toulouse (3-0) and Monaco (1-0), the Lyonnais will host Nantes next week (Wednesday at 9:00 p.m.) with the aim of launching a series and moving away from the relegation places.
The bench made the difference
Tino Kadewere, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jeffinho… Usually, these players are rather cited in the second category of this article, or subject to transfer rumors in the next transfer window. But Friday evening, the three friends had quite a breath of fresh air. Coming into play during the second half while OL were resisting the opposing attacks as best they could, they led a superb action which delivered OL. Served by Kadewere, Maitland Niles delivered an assist for Jeffinho. The collective celebration and the joy seen in Louis II after this goal showed how much this success meant to Les Gones.
Anthony Lopes is back
Since the start of the Lyon season, certain captains have been singled out to explain OL’s poor performances. Guilty on certain goals and not always comfortable in his restarts, the Portuguese goalkeeper provided the best response to his detractors this evening. He has won on multiple occasions and it is largely thanks to him that Pierre Sage’s men leave with victory. His saves against Balogun (13th, 37th), Akliouche (42nd) and Fofana (58th, 61st, 68th 78th) were decisive, and his well-felt aerial exits at the end of the match relieved his defense. A boss match, at the best of times.
Flops
The Monegasques have wasted too much
When replaying this match, a question arises. How did the Monegasques manage to lose this match? In a fairly dull first half, it was they who lit most of the fuses. And in the second act, they dominated their evening opponents head and shoulders. With 1.28 expected goals (the number of goals that Monaco could have hoped to score), the men from the Rock should logically have scored. They didn’t get far when the post blocked an attempt from Camara. But Balogun and Fofana were sorely lacking in precision in the last gesture, and can blame themselves for it.
Lyon is not cured
If the Rhone residents won on Friday evening, it was to everyone’s surprise. And above all, at the end of what could be called a Lyon-style heist. If the state of mind displayed by Pierre Safe’s men was impeccable, something which has not always been the case this season, they were in (very) great pain, particularly in the second half. Faced with more effective attackers, they would logically have bowed. Lyon won, but cannot be satisfied with that.
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