In front of a hostile audience at Groupama Stadium, Olympique Lyonnais won against Lens (2-1) this Sunday during the 23rd day of Ligue 1 with goals from Lacazette and Cherki. With this result, the men of Laurent Blanc, ill and replaced on the OL bench by his assistant Franck Passi this Sunday evening, go back to ninth place in the standings and are six points behind Lille, fifth.
What you must remember
The Lyonnais knew how to suffer. Dominated and cornered in defense by offensive Lensois (14 shots, four on target), Corentin Tolisso’s teammates were able to count on a good Anthony Lopes, author of several decisive parades in front of Sotoca (8th, 51st) or even Fofana (71st). Finally, the Gones were surgical in front of goal and scored on their first shot on target of the match thanks to a strike from Alexandre Lacazette (23rd).
But, as usual, the Lyonnais are never calm in a match. Machado equalized with a sumptuous shot from the right without control at the entrance to the penalty area before halftime (39th).
Player: Rayan Cherki
Once again, he is one of the only ones who survive in the Lyon team. Sparkling against Lille in the Coupe de France and Troyes in the league, the 19-year-old still delivered a convincing performance tonight. Very available, Cherki was often found between the lines and often created missed opportunities by Barcola or Lacazette (38th).
He finally proved decisive by giving a caviar to Alexandre Lacazette on the opener and gave his fifth assist in Ligue 1 this season. He then scored his third goal of the season with a cross shot from the right (64th). A match that could therefore convince PSG, which has been tracking him for a while, to enlist him in the years to come.
The number: 4
Lens have not won any of their last four Ligue 1 games (two draws and two losses), their longest drought since November – December 2021 (three draws and three losses). In the standings, the Lensois remain in fourth place and are three points behind Marseille, second, and eight behind PSG.
The phrase: “How did we fall so low?” »
Fans expressed their displeasure before the game kicked off. Near Groupama Stadium, some fans demonstrated, demanding the resignation of recruitment manager Bruno Cheyrou and general manager Vincent Ponsot.
In the stands, new banners pointed to the direction of Lyon: “How did we fall so low? “, “Incompetent staff and management, 12 years of privilege, declining ambitions”.
Corentin Tolisso responded a little at the end of the match on Prime Video: “We wanted to confirm in front of our audience and take the three points. We certainly suffered but we played like a team, defended like a team and tonight it paid off. We are happy and we will try to win next week”.
