jostled, OL come out of it and qualify for the quarter-finals of the Europa League

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Winners by the smallest of margins in the first leg, the Lyonnais secured the essentials by conceding a draw, 1-1, at Groupama Stadium on Thursday.

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Pushed to their limits by FC Porto, the Lyonnais qualified for the quarter-finals of the Europa League after their draw against the Dragoes, Thursday March 17 (1-1). With a goal lead at kick-off, the Lyonnais gave themselves the means to reach the next round by opening the scoring through Moussa Dembélé. Thanks to this slight advantage, the goal scored by Pepê for Porto was not enough to reverse the trend. Les Gones remain undefeated in the Europa League.

Hands on knees. Worn down by the multiple Portuguese attacks during the last half hour, the Lyonnais gave everything to preserve their slight advantage with a goal acquired in the first leg. This advantage was even accentuated for a few minutes thanks to an achievement by Moussa Dembélé, before Pepê equalized with a superb volley in a balanced first period, marked by the fine performances of Leo Dubois and Romain Faivre in particular.

Returning from the locker room, the Lyonnais had the opportunity to deceive Diogo Costa again, but the Gones striker missed the opportunity to score twice. Reinvigorated by the entry of their most decisive players, like Mehdi Taremi, Evanilson or even Vitinha, the Dragoes then moved up a gear and pushed to afford an overtime. But under pressure the men of Peter Bosz did not crack and could count on the precious defensive interventions of Thiago Mendes.

Thanks to a 2-1 aggregate score in their favor, the Lyonnais eliminated a European great and a potential competitor for the final victory. They have also shown character, which they will have to find in Ligue 1 to react after their rout against Rennes last weekend and to get closer to qualifying places for the European Cups.


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