They hit the feat of the finger, before sinking in a few minutes. Olympique Lyonnais lived an absolutely stunning and ultimately heartbreaking European evening on the lawn of Manchester United, this Thursday in the quarter -final return of the Europa League. Led 2-0 in regulation time (final score 2-2, as in the first leg), reduced to ten after the expulsion of Corentin Tolisso, the Gones found unsuspected resources to score twice in overtime and lead 4-2 on all two games.
The feat was there, at hand. And then the nightmare: three goals conceded from a blow, and an elimination (5-4 cumulative score). At the final whistle, distress and misunderstanding logically dominated Lyon reactions at the microphone of Canal+.
Tolisso's nightmare and OL broken dream
“It's difficult to explain,” blowing Paulo Fonseca on Canal+, shared between pride and immense sadness. “The players and the team have done great things (…) having had this ability to come back (at 4-2 accumulated). I have magnificent players, I am very happy with them. And at the same time sorry (…) I think we deserved more. »» A feeling of injustice and mess shared by Malick Fofana: “Everyone is disappointed, because we made a very good match. But in the end, it was not enough (…) frankly, we are very disappointed. This is a match that I will never forget. »»
Tolisso collapsed: “One of my worst matches”
Particularly marked, Corentin Tolisso struggled to find his words. His expulsion for a second yellow card at the end of regulation time has weighed heavily, even if his teammates then shone. “The 2nd yellow card hurts us, with the experience I have, I must be smarter,” he regretted, lucid about his mistake. He expressed his pride for his reaction: “The guys were still huge by putting two goals in overtime. Where I was, in the stands, I was super proud. »» But the end of the match was a ordeal:
“At 4-2, and staying ten minutes, we thought it was done. And then we take 3 goals in a blow. And it hurts a lot. »» His conclusion is final:
“The worst match of my career?” I have to think with a restful head but it is sure that it is one of my worst matches. Frankly, it's complicated and very very hard. »»
How to explain this final collapse when the qualification seemed acquired? Fofana points to a guilty relaxation : “I don't know what happened at 4-2 for us. We released ourselves a little. We thought it was over but in matches like that, it's never over. »» Paulo Fonseca abounds, evoking a lack of lucidity: “We had to think that the result was done and we should have stayed concentrated. We missed mental energy, we lacked emotional balance. »» A fatal lack of management in the burning atmosphere of Old Trafford.
Learn and bounce: the watchword after distress
Despite the immense disappointment, the time is already for remobilization. Especially since the derby against ASSE arrives quickly. “We have to learn from these moments,” insisted Fonseca. A message relayed by Fofana : “At the end, we must be more demanding with ourselves and be more compact (…) There, we will rest, then focus on the derby to come. »» Even Tolisso, despite his sentence, was trying to look in front of: “Now, you have to raise your head and digest all this, because we have a match to be won on Sunday. »» Learning from this nightmare to bounce better, this is the immense challenge that is now awaiting Lyonnais.
