An achievement, a real one! Lyon were rocked in all directions and saw Cristiano Ronaldo score a brace, but Rudi Garcia’s men clung to an early-match penalty to eliminate Juventus (1-2; 1-0 in the first leg) and qualify for the “Final 8” of the Champions League.
The sequel is another mountain, Manchester City. But Lyon is in Lisbon, among the eight best teams on the continent, and will participate in this unique and exciting “Final 8”, where anything can happen. Everything, and why not see the most suffering OL of the decade pursue their dream of qualifying for the next Champions League despite everything.
We must already win this one and we are not there yet. But this success is a real accomplishment for Garcia and his young team, who brought down a giant. Two, even, counting Cristiano Ronaldo who, after scoring his team’s two goals, barely more convincing than during his painful end of the championship, sent a last thrill when he presented himself for a final free kick in additional time. In the wall.
Previously, the case had already been played on set pieces. And the air of Italy, where we whistled this season of penalties in proportions never seen (188, one every two matches), must have inspired Mr. Zwayer who granted two for not much: one minimal contact between Bernardeschi and Aouar in the Turin area, then an elbow that Depay really could not put closer to his trunk.
Lack of breath
The second allowed Ronaldo to materialize what was still a real highlight for Juve to return to 1-1 (43rd), while the first had been transformed from a panenka by Depay who then put Lyon in excellent position (1-0, 12th). The start of the match also validated the choices of Garcia, who had preferred Toko-Ekambi to Dembélé, remained seated on a ball for most of the warm-up.
The Cameroonian has indeed moved a lot and hindered the Turin defense, decidedly fragile. Aouar had a great opportunity from the 8th minute, but the best opportunities in the first 45 minutes were still Italian. The most beautiful came in the 20th minute on a wonderful action by Bernardeschi, stopped at the last minute by Marcelo, immediately thanked by the four Lyonnais that the Italian winger had sown on his way.
Then the question was which of the two teams would be athletically more presentable. Since the end of competition in March, Juve had played 14 matches and that was really a lot. Lyon for its part had only played one and it was really little.
Sad atmosphere
The start of the second period was thus terrible for the Lyonnais, in debt of breath by dint of running without ever touching the ball. After a quarter of an hour at this pace, the attention slackened for a moment and Ronaldo was left too free. Error, the Portuguese took the opportunity to send his left strike into the skylight (2-1, 60th).
30 minutes from the end, things were getting complicated very seriously and the odds of a new hat-trick from Ronaldo, like last year when he overthrew Atlético Madrid at the same stage of the competition (0-2; 3- 0) was then higher than that of a Lyon qualification.
But Aouar and his family held on, breathing on a few comebacks and ultimately not conceding much to Juventus, handicapped by the absence of Dybala, entered and then left immediately, obviously still injured. Lyon held their qualification and deserved it. It would have been even more beautiful in another atmosphere. The post-Covid Champions League isn’t the best version of itself. The pre-game does not take off, the liveliness of the announcer sounds a little false and no one sings the hymn.
It doesn’t matter for OL, who have an appointment in Lisbon.
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