OL drops Bucharest and takes a nice option

Olympique Lyonnais has established itself on the lawn of the FCSB, this Thursday evening, in the round of 16 go to the Europa League (3-1).

At the heart of a week marked by the blood stroke of his coach Paulo Fonseca, theOlympique Lyonnais found the reality on the ground with a displacement at the end of Europe to challenge the FCSB, historically known as Steaua Bucharest. An opponent not to underestimate for the Gones. Because the most titled club in Romaniaa the assets and the continent experience to offer tough opposition.

In the turmoil after his blood stroke against Brest on Sunday (2-1), Paulo Fonseca had an answer to give in his choices and his composition. The Portuguese technician had decided to rely on Georges Mikautdaze at the forefront of the attack, supported in particular by two men in great shape, Corentin Tolisso and Rayan Cherki.

Exceptional Perri, Decisive Fofana

After a satisfactory league phase and concluded by a place in the top 8, the Lyonnais were imperfect, but they showed courage and character in the hostile atmosphere of the Arena Nationala. The first act was intense, disputed, and the Gones had some cold sweats in the face of the assaults of Romanian players, Perri being impeccable to keep his inviolated cage in this first act (19th, 21st).

It was necessary, because it was the Lyonnais who unlocked the meeting at half an hour of play thanks to Tagliafico, author of a perfect helmet stroke at the reception of a center of Mikautadze (0-1, 30th). Time then stopped and the adrenaline of a football match gave way at a time of great humanity, when the striker and his teammates threw themselves into the arms of their coach, whose wet eyes and the explosion of joy translated both a state of latent stress and a deep emotion.

But we had to go back to combat, because this Bucharest team had the respondent, confirming that these forgotten countries at the other end of the continent are home to large clubs that never die. The second act was first suffocated for OL, almost logically joined a goal from Baluta after a loss of ball from Mikautadze (1-1, 68th). But the merit of the Lyonnais will have been to believe in it until the end, with the authority that befits the heads of the starters of which they are now part. Pushed into their entrenchments, the men of Fonseca resisted, remote, sometimes folded, without cracking.

And to complete this good start of the evening, they above all managed to shower the Romanians permanently with the striking Fofana. Each time taking advantage of a precious work of Cherki, the young Belgian sparked two fading strikes four minutes apart to seal the success of OL (1-2, 86th; 1-3, 90th). Meanwhile, Perri had still made the show by diverting a head from Dawa (89th). The case was settled. OL takes an option for the quarterfinals and is bought a little tranquility.

After the tensions that have marked the club in recent days, the turmoil, the sanction, the asphyxiation of a sanction which will deprive the technician of a part of his influence with his locker room: this evening he found air, the affection of his players who came to celebrate their goals with him, and the emotion, which he expressed in front of the bench in which he will be deprived.