Buoyed by a revitalized offensive prowess and facing an opponent that arguably deserved a better fate, Olympique Lyonnais (OL) secured a comfortable victory in Azerbaijan against Qarabag (4-1). Here’s the match analysis.
What a strange scenario:
While the Gones ultimately claimed an easy win in Azerbaijan (4-1) this Thursday afternoon, the scoreboard didn’t accurately reflect the overall impression of a match where Lyon emerged with a result that feels “over-optimized.” Pierre Sage’s men quickly took the lead thanks to Georges Mikautadze’s first-ever European goal… but then endured about forty minutes of pressure. Mistakes, missed opportunities, and a sometimes passive defense led to no goals from Qarabag, despite two shots hitting the woodwork.
Once the storm passed, Corentin Tolisso stunned the hosts with a true gem before Lyon finally displayed their counter-attacking Football. With ten points, OL now holds more than a 95% chance of at least reaching the playoffs. Achieving a Top 5 finish is more important than ever, as Lyon still has two home fixtures (Eintracht Frankfurt, Ludogorets) and a trip (Fenerbahçe) before concluding this group stage.
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The Tops:
- Mikautadze (8): Selected by Pierre Sage to give Alexandre Lacazette a breather, the Georgian didn’t disappoint, scoring a striker’s goal (1-0, 15th minute) and showcasing impressive ball control. His precision pass to Benrahma for the third goal is a model in itself… and his second goal was simply exceptional, displaying incredible composure for the 4-0 (81st minute).
- Tolisso (7): Coming on at halftime to balance the midfield, “Coco” scored a “deutsch kalitat” goal from 20 meters to give the Gones some breathing room (2-0, 63rd minute). A true gem.
- Perri (7): Saved by his post (18th minute) and crossbar (41st minute), the Brazilian also made some unorthodox reflex saves to keep OL afloat during the storm. Unfortunately, he conceded a penalty to Juninho (88th minute), which he inadvertently scored against when diving the right way.
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The Flop:
- Cherki (4): So strong this season, the midfielder clearly had a poor outing in Baku. He made a series of poor choices and avoidable turnovers until his replacement by Benrahma (62nd minute), who provided the assist for Malick Fofana.
Player Ratings for the Gones:
- Perri (7) – Maitland-Niles (6), Omari (5), Caleta-Car (5), Tagliafico (5) – Tessmann (5, then Caqueret (76th)), Veretout (5, then Matic (76th)) – Nuamah (5.5, then Tolisso (46th, 7), Cherki (4, then Benrahma (62nd)), Fofana (6, then Molebe (82nd)) – Mikautadze (7).
Tolisso’s gem: Mikautadze’s delightful goal:
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