Olympique Lyonnais lost against Racing Club de Lens this Sunday on the 24th day of Ligue 1 (0-3).
More than a month without the bitter taste of defeat, a more flamboyant game, a new emulation and a rediscovered serenity: theOlympique Lyonnais comes out of nowhere, really, after hitting rock bottom in the first part of the season. Relaunched by the very phlegmatic Pierre Sage, the Rhone club extricated itself from the red zone brilliantly to make a leap into the soft underbelly of the ranking.
The current period is therefore a turning point for OL. In the league, at least. Because there remains a shorter path to reach Europe: the Coupe de France. But Les Gones have momentum to maintain and certainties to confirm. In this sense, the match against Lens was a real test this Sunday. In the event of a victory, Lyon could come back to within 5 points of its evening opponent. The opposite result propelled the Sang et Or to the foot of the top 5, just behind Nice. As if to confirm that positions evolve very quickly in this homogeneous championship.
Lens cools down the Groupama Stadium
And it is the Lensois who have taken the upper hand in this balance of power. Deprived of his scorer Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre Sage had concocted a starting eleven supported by winter recruits already well acclimatized. His choices didn’t bear fruit this time. As in their previous outings, these Lyonnais, who could be improved in many respects, still went through turbulence. And they couldn’t limit the damage.
It was from Sotoca that the light came. The Lensois striker broke the deadlock before the break with a victorious helmet strike (0-1, 43rd). Opposite, the Lyonnais tried to revolt, but they lacked a zest of realism and determination in the zone of truth to resurface, the absence of Lacazette weighed on the performance of Pierre Sage’s men. In solidarity, the Lensois have moved up a gear again. Wahi authoritatively transformed a penalty for the break goal after returning from the locker room (0-2, 53rd), then Danso definitively sealed the success of the visitors with a diving header (0-3, 87th) in a chaotic end to the match where Maitland-Niles left his teammates at ten (85th). OL is still recovering.
