Some meetings serve as a symbol and this Olympico seems to have fulfilled all the criteria. Lyon, undefeated at home against Marseille since November 11, 2007, fell from above, Sunday April 23, on the lawn of Groupama Stadium, defeated after additional time (1-2).
Badly embarked on the Ligue 1 classification, Olympique Lyonnais (7e50 points), in search of a qualifying place in European competitions, approached this poster of the 32e day of the championship with the idea of recovering precious points. Under an original tifo representing the Rhone chef Paul Bocuse, to whom the supporters had wished to pay tribute, the Lyonnais, hungry, started the meeting under the best auspices.
Dominated throughout the first half hour, it was the Phocaeans who were able to bite first. At the 44e minute of play, Cengiz Ünder only had to push the leather into an empty Lyon cage, Alexis Sanchez’s strike having been pushed back but not stopped, ending its journey at the feet of the Turk (0-1).
Coming out of the locker room, while OM had considerably raised their level, the captain of Les Gones, Alexandre Lacazette, rebalanced the debates with a point-blank shot against Pau Lopez, in the 68e minutes (1-1). With the Groupama Stadium revived, the Rhone turf then suffered a wave of chances on both sides of the field.
“Goal fell from the sky”?
Anthony Lopes, cornered in the face of the precision of Marseille’s shots, chained an impressive parade number, saving his team against Alexis Sanchez, then Jonathan Clauss. A remarkable sequence, closed by a “cartoonesque” action. In the last seconds of the match, on a cross sent in front of the Rhone uprights, Sinaly Diomandé deflected the leather on his teammate Malo Gusto, unfortunate culprit of a goal against his camp synonymous with defeat for the Gones.
Untenable most of the match, Croatian coach Igor Tudor returned to the press conference on the improbable final action: “That last-second goal, that’s why people love football, anything can happen. I don’t know if it was a goal that fell from the sky, or fate, but it was a fantastic game to watch. There were a lot of emotions, opportunities. »
If OL thus miss crucial points just six games from the end of the season, OM regain their place as runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain, only one point ahead of RC Lens. Something to delight the Marseille coach Igor Tudor, without however making him celebrate before the hour: “It was a great victory, against a big opponent. I believe this is a deserved victory. I hope it’s a turning point, but there are still a lot of points at stake between now and the end of the season and qualification is still a long way off. »
Marseille will go to Lens, for a decisive match
And the end of the season promises to be all the tighter as Lens and Marseille will face each other in the 34e Ligue 1 day, at the Bollaert-Delelis stadium, in a crucial poster. Neck and neck facing the same objective (a direct qualifying place in the Champions League), the two geographically opposed formations will also have to take care of their home straight.
Before Lens, OM will receive Auxerre for the 33e day of the championship, while the Sang et Or will move on the lawn of the Stadium of Toulouse. As for the Lyonnais, still in the race for a place in the Europa League Conference, they will have to fight to the end against eye-catching clubs (Reims, Monaco, Nice), to avoid a new white season in all European competition. Over the past three years, the Rhodanians have twice failed to qualify.