• The Lyonnais said goodbye on Sunday to their last hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for next season, after an unexpected defeat against OGC Nice (2-3).

  • "I think we are in our place: we do not deserve to go to the Champions League," hammered Rudi Garcia, who will not extend his lease in Lyon.

  • Predicted by ASM for qualifying in C1, OL will have to quickly announce the identity of Garcia's successor on the bench

At Parc OL,

Like a painful wink, the bewitching title of the Fugees,

Killing Me Softly

, was broadcast at Parc OL, Sunday evening, just after the last Ligue 1 meeting between Lyon and Nice (2-3). Still deprived of a stadium, even if some of them braved the curfew to encourage their team on the outskirts of the north bend, the Lyon supporters had this feeling of "soft death" for their club's Champions League ambitions. . Namely a quietly controlled first period, with a double from Karl Toko Ekambi (1-0, 14th then 2-1, 40th) on two caviars from the best passer in L1 this season, Memphis Depay, as well as a penalty which should have been be granted to Houssem Aouar (19th).

Then it is the total "blackout" on return from the locker room.

"We take a second goal unworthy of a professional team with this full-axis shot [Hassane Kamara at 2-2, 50th]," plague Rudi Garcia, recovered just before announcing his departure from the Lyon bench.

Lifeless, without binder and without the slightest reaction, the partners of Memphis Depay went through the second act like ghosts, even suffering as a knockout a goal from the former defender of Stéphane William Saliba, well served by Amine Gouiri, ex- great hope of the OL academy (too) quickly sold (2-3, 57th).

🗨️ "Of course I'm sad (...) It's a bit like our season"



Memphis ends his career in Lyon with a big disillusionment ❌ pic.twitter.com/Gug11Day4T

- Canal Football Club (@CanalFootClub) May 23, 2021

"This season has been very exhausting mentally, very hard"

Memphis Depay left the pitch on Sunday, very marked, with a trophy for best passer of the season in Ligue 1. Before that, he attacked Benoît Millot, for the action of Aouar in the middle of the box, while he did not deign to check the VAR on the spot. "This is not the first time this season that a game was wasted," notes Memphis Depay. There is a question of concentration but it is hard to explain. We controlled the first part of the match and I think we stopped playing a bit in the second half. It's sad to end this important part of my career like this. Sad as the total of 15 points lost in L1, only at home, since last January. Clearly at fault on the goal of Hassane Kamara, Anthony Lopes goes there with his sharp observation, at the microphone of Canal +.

We lost everything, we really wanted to start the second half like the first.

There are no words there, it's very hard.

In our second half of the season, I don't think we deserved the podium with these results at home.

This season has been very exhausting mentally, very hard.

We will have to get up and quickly get back to the front for next season.

"

"We don't deserve to go to the Champions League"

If he played his last match in the Lyon jersey on Sunday, Memphis Depay urges his partners to "look in the mirror to see what we did wrong". "We really wanted to bring the Champions League back to the president and the supporters," insists the Dutch striker. We know that tonight, we hurt each other on our own. Enough to allow AS Monaco (3rd), yet held in check in Lens (0-0), to retain their place in the Champions League. So how did this group get through to this point against a 9th and coasting team? “I think we are in our place: we do not deserve to go to the Champions League, otherwise we would have won tonight, summarizes Rudi Garcia. It's only our fault, and obviously mine too. It's amazing, a bit like our season. "

A season made up of quite spectacular ups and downs, like this OL-Losc suddenly falling into furious madness (2-0 at halftime, 2-3 in the end).

Jean-Michel Aulas and Juninho have so far not wanted to react to this very poorly negotiated season finale, or to the succession of Rudi Garcia.

A few days before this last decisive match against Nice, LĂ©o Dubois and Rudi Garcia respectively qualified this season as "great" and "exceptional". 

Killing me softly with his song

.

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