9th in the championship, and won for European places, Olympique Lyonnais is only two wins away from qualifying for the Europa League while in Ligue 1, the Rhone club is six lengths behind Rennes (5th ), potential candidate for the Europa League conference.

But to hope to go all the way, whatever the competition, OL would have to be able to count on all their strength, which is far from being the case at present due to a private squad of several experienced players, unavailable.

For the first time, however, Laurent Blanc lined up his three recruits from the winter transfer window at kick-off.

Jeffinho scores and is injured

In defense, Dejan Lovren (33) was there to supervise a very young team while in attack, the Swede Amin Sarr, who had scored on Saturday in Angers (3-1 victory), and the Brazilian Jeffinho started.

The latter, involved in Lyon's third goal against the SCO against whom he entered during the game, made a rather good impression.

He scored Lyon's second goal by scoring from close range after escaping to the left following a pass from Nicolas Tagliafico (38).

But the former player of Botafogo, one of the clubs in the galaxy of the owner of OL, the American John Textor, present in the stands, seems to have been injured on his celebration, a somersault and left from the start. half time.

He and young Bradley Barcola (20), who opened the scoring in the 28th minute, also touched, replaced in the 52nd minute, thus add to the already long list of six absentees for this meeting against GF38.

Barcola had victoriously taken over with a header at the near post a cross delivered from the left wing by Tagliafico, already him, to give Lyon the advantage (24).

These two goals validated the grip of Olympique Lyonnais on this match, for at least an hour, against a team from Grenoble, solid 7th in Ligue 2 who nevertheless reacted well in the second half against an opponent who got into trouble on his own.

Goalkeeper Esteban Salles also had to intervene in quick succession in front of Barcola and Sarr (28) while a shot from Jeffinho went very close (45).

Brice Maubleu, who replaced Salles, injured, also intervened on a new attempt by Sarr (85).

For their part, the Grenoble residents may have missed their chance to enter on an action by Matthias Phaeton with an intervention by Anthony Lopes (5) who also came out well in front of Pape Moussa Ba (25).

The GF could have reduced the mark on two shots from Abdoulaye Sanyang repelled by Lopes and Sinaly Diomandé (73) before finally scoring by Mohamed Sbaï after a bad intervention by Maxence Caqueret (75).

© 2023 AFP