Décines-Charpieu (France) (AFP)

Lyon has provisionally regained the lead in Ligue 1 after its easy victory over Strasbourg (3-0), reduced to ten after a quarter of an hour, Saturday at the end of a match of the 24th day one-sided.

The competitors of Olympique Lyonnais (52 pts) for the podium, Lille (51 pts) and Paris Saint-Germain (48 pts) play Sunday in Nantes and Marseille.

The midfielder Adrien Thomasson greatly facilitated the task of the Rhone for being excluded following a foul committed on Thiago Mendes in the central circle after having disputed the warning which had been inflicted on him in the 14th minute.

This action symbolized the nervousness with which Racing, which has not won any of its last four matches (2 draws) and 15th in the standings, started the meeting.

From the 3rd minute, defender Stefan Mitrovic had already done well and could also have been excluded after a bad gesture on Memphis Depay.

- Memphis double -

It was the latter who put OL on the path to their fourth consecutive success after those obtained in front of Saint-Etienne (5-0), Bordeaux (2-1) and Dijon (1-0).

He opened the scoring by winning his duel with goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima after a pass from Houssem Aouar who had recovered the ball in the feet of Anthony Caci (20).

Later, after half-time, the Dutch brought the score to 3-0 by transforming a direct free kick, lodged in the top corner (68), the only flash of a rather dull second period.

OL had not scored on a direct free kick since February 27, 2019.

Memphis ineffective in front of the cage since the draw torn from Rennes (2-2) in early January, scored his twelfth and thirteenth goals of the season, 67 with Olympique Lyonnais where he has been playing since January 2017, exceeding the total of Karim Benzema (66) and equalizing that of Angel Rambert (1960-1970).

The international Oranje could also have found the opening on a free kick deflected on the post by Kawashima (26).

Lyon's second goal was scored by Karl Toko Ekambi, alerted by Thiago Mendes who preceded the intervention of Alexander Djiku and Kawashima to double the gap and score his eleventh goal of the season (2-0, 30).

Lyon, with its typical team at kick-off, and only during the first period, regained the quality of play and the fluidity of its offensive animation of the autumn which it had lost since the beginning of the year except against Saint-Etienne routed while the Greens were very weak.

And this even if Strasbourg, outnumbered very quickly gave up by showing itself completely harmless except on an attempt by Lucien Zohi diverted by Anthony Lopes from the 8th when Racing was still playing at eleven.

On the other hand, the start of the second period, before coach Rudi Garcia made changes with the entries of Islam Slimani, Rayan Cherki and Djamel Benlamri (71), was quite tasteless and still calls out on the ability of Lyonnais to be constant over time.

Especially since they were playing eleven against ten.

But on the mathematical level, the account is there with this series of four victories which reinforces the pretensions of the OL to find the League of the Champions and keeps it in the race for the title.

© 2021 AFP