Dante and Todibo faultless in defense, a draw that does not please anyone and two injuries… Discover the tops and flops of this Lyon-Nice (1-1).
TOPS
Dante-Todibo, the wall of Nice
No one had seen that since the Baresi-Maldini pair at the time of the great Milan. More seriously, the two Niçois Dante and Jean-Clair Todibo were impeccable tonight, during the draw between Lyon and Nice 1-1. From the height of his 39 years, Dante was very serene, always well placed and clean in the recovery. He even saves his team on the strike of Nicolas Tagliafico who touches the post of Kasper Schmeichel with a superb tackle to ward off the danger (66th, 0-1). Todibo was also very clean, showing his speed on the balls in depth. It was he who caused the penalty on Alexandre Lacazette at the end of the game, but a very generous penalty (88th, 1-1).
The Lyon mentality
Lyon had gained only one point after being trailing since the start of the season. Tonight, they still lost three points until the 88th minute. If Lyon’s game was not flamboyant, Lacazette’s teammates never gave up, and held almost constant pressure for almost 90 minutes. Finally, even if the penalty awarded is generous, OL leave with the point of a draw.
FLOPS
The wounds of Lemina and Diop
It’s a big blow for Nice with the injuries of Mario Lemina and Sofiane Diop, two strong men of the club. At first, the Gabonese was injured during an excellent defensive comeback on Tetê who went against (22nd, 0-0). Directly gone to the locker room, the midfielder was then seen with crutches in the stands. Sofiane Diop was replaced shortly after the hour mark, after his knee got stuck in the ground during a duel (62nd, 0-1). Hoping that the two Aiglons, who are not competing in the World Cup, can recover during this interruption.
Lyon in difficulty offensively
It is certainly difficult to blame the Lyonnais for their lack of combativeness this evening, but the offensive animation is doubtful. For the last game with the break, in front of their home crowd, during the 35th anniversary of Bad Gones and in front of Karim Benzema, OL only scored three shots. Blanc’s men only had two real chances: Tagliafico’s deflected shot and Lacazette’s penalty. It is certain, Laurent Blanc is still looking for his system and his men. He will have the opportunity to work during the World Cup.
A draw that does not suit anyone
Before the meeting, Lyon certainly hoped to obtain the three points with this very special context of anniversary and presentation of Ballon d’Or. In view of the meeting, it was rather the Niçois who were close to the three points. In the end, the two teams parted ways with the score of 1-1. The first draw between the two clubs since 2017, where Lacazette had also scored a double (3-3).