Olympique Lyonnais can nonetheless dream of European soccer subsequent season after a surprising 3-0 win away at Olympique de Marseille moved them to inside 5 factors of OGC Nice in fifth in Ligue 1. With three video games left to play, OM have additionally conceded late floor to Stade Rennais within the race for second place within the French league.
Second-half targets from Castello Lukeba, Moussa Dembele and Karl Toko Ekambi produced a formidable victory at Stade Velodrome on Sunday evening for Peter Bosz’s males. Dembele arrange the primary earlier than scoring the second from a Malo Gusto help and Tete laid on the third for Toko Ekambi.
Although referee Antony Gautier will are available for criticism due to some doubtful choices, there will be little doubting the spectacular nature of OL’s sturdy second 45 displaying. What makes it so stunning is the poor marketing campaign Les Gones have been struggling as a part of their latest decline.
Bosz has struggled to impose his concepts at Groupama Stadium this time period amid an influence battle behind the scenes. Club legend and former sporting director Juninho Pernambucano has already walked whereas president Jean-Michel Aulas has been at odds with followers after UEFA Europa League heartache vs. West Ham.
Bruno Guimaraes leaving midseason for Newcastle United didn’t assist, though it did fund Romain Faivre’s arrival and Tanguy Ndombele’s return. This, although, is for a membership who spent 2020-21 out of Europe altogether — a primary since 1996-97 — simply after a UEFA Champions League semifinal run.
Lyon’s issues are usually not latest, and this former powerhouse of French soccer has not received a significant trophy for the reason that 2012 Coupe de France. This season’s Europa League was a golden probability to finish that drought, however West Ham United extinguished these hopes to depart OL dealing with relative obscurity.
Clearly the rot had set in sufficient that longstanding companions spanning many years determined to name it a day which has pressured Aulas to search new traders for round 40% of the membership’s shares. A second marketing campaign out of three with no continental soccer can be unthinkable for this proud membership.
It just isn’t all doom and gloom, although. Lyon’s academy is as fertile as ever with Lukeba scoring the opener in Marseille and Gusto establishing Dembele with each latest graduates together with Bradley Barcola. Houssem Aouar and Anthony Lopes are additionally OL merchandise.
The expertise manufacturing has not often been a difficulty, although. The downside of late for the seven-time French champions has been maintaining the most effective graduates with Nice pinching the likes of Amine Gouiri, Melvin Bard, Myziane Maolida and threatening to accomplish that once more with Rayan Cherki this summer season.
Put merely, Lyon can not afford to fail to attain Europe once more and this sudden win away at Marseille affords them a late shot at securing it once more this time period. Doing so may allow them to rebuild across the likes of the absent Maxence Caqueret, Lukeba, Gusto and Barcola.
Should they fall brief between now and the top of the season, worse might be set to observe for the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes giants and their success-starved followers. FC Metz, FC Nantes, and Clermont Foot 63 are moderately favorable run-in fixtures which Bosz’s males should now capitalize upon.
