Olympique Lyonnais won two goals to zero at the Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz during the 26th matchday of Ligue 1 Conforama. It was a match completely dominated by Lyon who did not really need to put forth much effort to win against a Metz side who were too far from being enterprising to hope for anything.
KEY MOMENTS
12'. Lyon have a chance at a corner which allows Denayer to catch the ball with the tip of his foot but the goalkeeper grabs it without much of a problem.
15'. After a favorable counterattack, Tousart has a left footed shot at the edge of the area but Oukidja again catches the ball.
27'. Toko Ekambi overlaps on the right side, and crosses for Terrier who gets his shot on target but it is deflected by a defender.
44'. Terrier plays in Cornet at the edge of the area, and the Ivorian shoots first time but it is blocked by the goalkeeper again.
45 + 5'. After a handball from Udol in the box, Cornet misses the penalty but it is retaken because Oukidja was off his line.
45 + 8'. It was then Moussa Dembélé who finally converted and gave the advantage to Lyon just before the break. 0-1.
67'. Toko Ekambi crosses to Terrier who shoots, and it's deflected by a defender, lobbing Oukidja but the referee signals offside at the start of the play.
73'. It is again Toko Ekambi who brings the danger by beating the defense of Metz thanks to his speed but his strike is perfectly dealt with by Oukidja.
82'. Diallo slaps Marçal who falls to the ground. Eric Wattellier consults VAR and finally decides to send off the Metz striker in the last ten minutes.
90 + 4'. The Metz goalkeeper is up for a corner and it was therefore on a lightning counterattack that Houssem Aouar scored into an empty net. 0-2.
MATCH SUMMARY
It was a rather dull first period watched by the fans present at the Saint-Symphorien in Metz. Despite an undeniable level of control of the ball for Lyon, the visitors struggled to really put their opponent on the evening under pressure. But the more time passed, the more OL were in sight of Oukidja's goal. Conversely, though Metz did not trouble Anthony Lopes. Of note was a very good first half by Bruno Guimarães who was playing his first minutes in red and blue. In the last fifteen minutes, Rudi Garcia's players had several shots on goal but it was thanks to a handball in the area that Lyon took the lead. After a huge period of confusion and long minutes to wait for a decision from VAR, Moussa Dembélé took charge of putting the ball in the back of the net (0-1, 45') on a second attempt, since Maxwel Cornet had missed his penalty because the goalkeeper had come off his line.
Upon returning from the locker room, intensity was still out of the question. Olympique Lyonnais held the game in check, leaving very little opportunity for FC Metz to express themselves. The home goalkeeper was nevertheless brilliant on several occasions, which allowed a little hope to remain for the players of Vincent Hognon. But ten minutes before time, Diallo slapped Marçal in the Lyon penalty area and was sent off by Mr. Wattellier. It was a dismissal synonymous with a loss of hope since after that, Metz could not do anything with the ball and it was even Lyon who would benefit from an Oukidja foray forward on corner in extra time to go on the counter. Houssem Aouar found himself alone facing an empty goal and doubled the lead, completing Lyon's success on the evening.
EXPERT ANALYSIS- ARNAUD RIVENET
"It was not easy. We did well, we fought well. The reward was there at the end. The players did the job. This victory will do us a lot of good, since it was not easily achieved. We can start this dream week in the best conditions. We saw Léo Dubois back on the pitch and an interesting performance from Bruno Guimaraes."
Source: Olympique Lyonnais
4 comments
PKvuFdEHLmh