“Nothing like a European Cup match to start again in the right direction.” With all due respect to Moussa Dembélé, author of these remarks at a press conference on Wednesday, Olympique Lyonnais failed to find the path to victory by conceding a draw against Glasgow Rangers (1-1). If the meeting of the 6th and last day of the Europa League, Thursday, December 9, had no stake, OL still continues a third consecutive game without success.
Largely first in Group A and directly qualified in the knockout stages of C3, Lyon missed the opportunity to become the first French team to win its six matches in the group stage of the Europa League. A statistic of relative importance but which would have been well received in a club with great European culture which is going through a gloomy period lately. “Gto go six out of six games is something special. We absolutely want this record “, assured Peter Bosz, Wednesday.
Its composition however meant the opposite with nine changes compared to the eleven hung in Bordeaux on Sunday (2-2). Only Castello Lukeba and Xherdan Shaqiri were already holders in Gironde. Although very young (24 years old on average, five players under 21), the Rhone team did not do much to snatch victory. She even conceded the opening of the mark on a strike from Scott Wright inadvertently diverted by Damien Da Silva (42nd). It was not really deserved for the Scots even if Kemar Roofe had previously touched the post (24 ‘).
Failing to be able to rely on the competition’s top scorer, Karl Toko Ekambi (six goals), who was injured before the break (44th), OL could count on its other specialist in the Europa League. Rayan Cherki will indeed have been the symbol of a much more domineering Lyon training after returning from the locker room. It is above all he who is at the origin of the equalizer, his right strike being deflected by Calvin Bassey in his own nets (49th).
Rayan Cherki’s only two goals of the season had already enabled his team to win at Brøndby (3-1, 25 November). This evening, he will have had the merit of provoking and waking up a scattered public, which had certainly understood the zero statistical impact of this part.
Peter Bosz took the opportunity to restore rhythm to Moussa Dembélé and Léo Dubois ahead of the trip to Lille on Sunday (1 p.m.). The first started for the second time only since the beginning of September while the second played his first minutes since November 7. In any case, it will take much more to attract the light on the ground. She has recently focused on the future departure of Juninho from his position of sports director. Which is not a very good sign for Lyon.