At the Meinau Stadium,
We will have to wait a little longer for the increase in the standings and the race for Europe. Olympic Lyonnais got only one draw this Sunday in Strasbourg (1-1)† So a small point, which means that he is at some distance from the stage of Competition 1, but… brings him closer to 5th place. It may be anecdotal, but OL regained ground in Nice this weekend and are now just five units away from the Europa League conference.
And then, nothing to jump to the ceiling? It is certain, but the achievements of the Rhodaniens in Alsace should nevertheless not be diminished. In that same Meinau, Nice had moved (0-0), defeated Monaco (1-0) and OM had certainly won there, but miraculously (2-0). Léo Dubois’ partners were almost with the disappointed… but escaped. Just before injury time (90th), Toko Ekambi pulled away from his captain after a cross to equalize. As a symbol of a team that did not give up this Sunday.
A few months ago, she certainly wouldn’t have had this resilience. She could then collapse in Angers (3-0), Rennes (4-2) or crack at the end of the match in Nice (3-2). Not at Strasbourg† “The players kept trying to score, I’m very happy with that,” their coach did not underline. Peter Bosz even insisted on this point: he liked the mood of his group very much. “I have often criticized my team, here I compliment them. †
‘We were bad on the field in the first half’
Because there was plenty to dive. In the first period, the To race had opened the scoring (Sissoko, 20th) and dominated the debates. Yes, Moussa Dembélé had found the bar in a recovery of the … knee, but this move was a sham. OL then suffered from the intensity of the Strasbourgeois, who had not played in the Europa League in the middle of the week. Worse, Anthony Lopes came out injured (thigh) half an hour into the race, then Aouar imitated him 15 minutes after the restart, getting hit in the knee.
At that point, the Lyonnais were already much better in the game. ,,In the first period we had bad ground”, says Bosz. “Our full-backs, Léo (Dubois) and Henrique, were too high. In the second they played lower and the Strasbourg wingers couldn’t come rushing in. It counted. †
Ndombélé and his family also regained possession (58% possession at the end), forcing the Alsatians to play against. Which could have hurt them if Gameiro or Ajorque had found each other better… Except that the goal before half time didn’t come and OL was able to catch up in the last seconds. “We played better and better throughout the match”, the Dutch coach analyzes positively. “Yes, there is still hope for European qualification. Especially if we continue with this state of mind…” And a workforce that is not too downsized. The seriousness of the injuries of Lopes, Aouar and Ndombélé (thigh) was still unknown on Sunday evening.
