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Champions League – Eighth – OL lose in Turin with a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo but qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League


Champions League – Round of 16

Despite a double from Ronaldo and in a match marked by two very contentious penalties, one for each team, OL took their ticket for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after their defeat on the lawn of Juventus (2- 1). But the opening of the score of Depay on penalty is enough for the happiness of the troops of Garcia who will face Manchester City!

The lesson: OL, 10 years later!

2010-2020: ten years after his last qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, acquired on the lawn of Real Madrid, Olympique Lyonnais qualifies again among the eight best European teams! Winner 1-0 of Juve in the Rhone before confinement, the Gones valiantly went to seek their ticket for the continuation in Turin in a Juventus stadium behind closed doors. A 2-1 defeat, yes, but a collective performance to hold the result until the end. Rudi Garcia holds there a major performance, he who had always broken his teeth on this Juve in his Roman era.

In an eighth-final second leg which has long been a story of penalties. From the first quarter of an hour, while Rodrigo Bentancur seemed to take the ball from Aouar, the match referee indicated the penalty spot, without going to consult the VAR. In the pictures, we could see Federico Bernardeschi unbalancing the Frenchman. Memphis Depay, with a panenka as cold as brilliant, forced Juve to score three times (0-1, 12th). On a good start, OL saw Marcelo make an exceptional rescue while Bernardeschi had played off Maxwel Cornet and Anthony Lopes (19th), before Anthony Lopes masterfully released a free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo (40th). We said to ourselves that the planets were aligned for the club of Jean-Michel Aulas. But everything was revived at the worst of times, just before the break, with a new penalty whistled in favor of Juve for a non-existent hand fault by Depay. Ronaldo, until then very shy, performed (1-1, 43rd), then illuminated the evening with a superb sudden strike from outside the area (2-1, 60th). Lyon could then fear the worst. Especially since he lost Jason Denayer to injury and Paulo Dybala, too close to start, was launched. But the Argentinian only remained on the pitch for 20 minutes, injured again. While Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo missed their heads. In a very well managed end of the match where we felt the Lyon collective who wanted this qualification more than their opponents, Lyon became the first French club to take the Old Lady out in the European Cup. This places the feat.

The winner: Lyon’s mind

We are not going to go so far as to say that a group was born. But it needed the certain control that the Gones had in this pivotal moment. Like the good management of the end of the match. Very little panic, very few bad choices, cold blood, from the most experienced to a Maxence Caqueret who has written here the first page of a story which, at this rate, promises to be long with the major meetings. All orchestrated, it must be said, by Rudi Garcia, whose plan and intentions made sense. The place in the Final 8 acquired, OL no longer has any pressure to believe in better. To see the last four, it will be necessary to eliminate the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola next week.

Loser: Sarri, out?

Did we attend Maurizio Sarri’s last match on the bench? We do not see in any case how Juventus will remain as it is before attacking the 2019-20 season. Because this round of 16 return has only been the illustration of what Juve is for far too long. Amorphous at times, without idea, without mind, without soul, finally, this Juve is no longer Juve. A championship title, yes, but there is some cleaning to do. Leonardo Bonucci is no more than a shadow of what he once was. The same goes for Gonzalo Higuain, who could not find his place against Bruno Guimaraes and others. It is true that Paulo Dybala’s absence was certainly very damaging, but the problem goes much deeper.

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