Building on its success against OM in the championship, OL dominated Lille in the round of 16 this Wednesday evening (2-1).
Lyon is having its worst season in more than thirty years. But it is in this nightmarish season that he could collect his first trophy in twelve years. Les Gones are only two matches away from a Coupe de France final.
Opposed to Lille in the 8th, the Rhone residents did not have an easy task. But, they were able to get through it by delivering a full match. Like what they showed against Marseille last Sunday, they were solid at the back and also clingy offensively. A great performance rewarded with a qualification.
Cherki inspired Lyon
The Lyonnais ensured and the main protagonist of this success was Rayan Cherki. Having been in difficulty for several weeks, the French international hopeful has made a remarkable awakening. Always so inspired when he faces LOSC, he was doubly decisive.
At the 40e minute, he launched Gift Orban for the opener. The Nigerian then escaped to appear in front of Lucas Chevalier and beat him with a sumptuous dive ball. After being a passer, Cherki turned into a scorer. Just after the restart, he recovered a ball lying around in the area, resisted several Lille players and finally finished from close range.
With a two-goal lead, OL had done the hard part in this match. Alexsandro reduced the score for Lille in the 53rde, but the locals were able to preserve their lead until the final whistle. Prestigious victories are so rare this season that they were not going to let one slip away when it came to them. And there will be no one to say that it is a scandal.
