Ghent (Belgium) (AFP)
Lyon went to beat La Gantoise in Ghent 3 goals to 2 in a friendly Wednesday, for their penultimate preparation match before their next big meetings: League Cup final against PSG on July 31 and round of 16 second leg Champions League against Juventus on August 7.
Faced with second in the last Belgian championship (stopped on the 29th day due to the coronavirus), which a B team drew with Lens on Tuesday (1-1), the Lyonnais started the meeting with executives Memphis Depay, Moussa Dembélé, Hassem Aouar and Anthony Lopes on the sidelines.
On the other hand Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, seriously injured on December 15 against Rennes (just like Depay), was the holder for this new game behind closed doors, behind the two attackers Bertrand Traoré and Toko Ekambi.
The latter opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a superb curling shot from the right foot that deceived Belgian goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski.
But the players of Danish coach Jess Thorup equalized on a penalty whistled for a foul by Lyon defender Joachim Andersen on Ukrainian Igor Plastun, and transformed into two times by Ivorian Anderson Niangbo (34th).
Ciprian Tatarusanu, established in place of Lopes, indeed managed to repel the ball, but in the feet of Niangbo who finally scored (34th).
- Antwerp Friday -
Three minutes from the break, Bertrand Traoré, superbly launched in the axis by Reine-Adélaïde, gave the advantage to OL with a nice pitted ball (42).
Coach Rudi Garcia made several changes for the second half on the French side, with Bruno Guimaraes, Rayan Cherki, Depay and Sinaly Diomande coming into play in place of Thiago Mendes, Traoré, Marcelo and Jason Denayer.
Only four minutes after the restart, Lyon worsened the score with a superb off-center strike on the left side of the side Melvin Bard (49th), launched by Cherki with a bell ball.
A little against the course of the game, the Belgians reduced the score in favor of a new penalty awarded for a foul by Maxence Caqueret on Sven Kums and this time transformed by Alexandre De Bruyn (73rd).
OL thus won their second game in a row after their victory against Celtic Glasgow 2-1 last Saturday at the Lyon tournament.
President Aulas' team will play a final friendly match on Friday on the pitch in Antwerp, fourth in the last Belgian championship.
Then place to the final of the Coupe de la Ligue on July 31 at the Stade de France, and in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League on August 7 at the Italian champion Juventus Turin, beaten 1-0 at the go to Lyon.
© 2020 AFP