With 53 points, Lyon is also level with sixth-placed Rennes. But accessible matches await Lille as Rennes, with the respective receptions of Ajaccio (19th) on Saturday and Angers (20th) on Sunday.

For Strasbourg, it is an opportunity to get closer to maintaining that is flying. The Alsatian club remains 15th with 32 points, as much as Nantes (16th) and Brest (17th and first relegation), who will face each other on Wednesday, since the Canaries play Saturday the final of the Coupe de France.

In a lively start to the match, the first chances were the work of Strasbourg's Jeanricner Bellegarde. But the 25-year-old midfielder first stumbled on Anthony Lopes (8th) then, on the corner that followed, saw his lob pass just over the goal of Lopes, beaten (9th).

On the next action, launched on the left of the box, Bradley Barcola found the fault of a magnificent curled strike which, in a closed angle, hit the right square of the Strasbourg goal before finishing his race in the net (10th). But the goal was disallowed for an offside of a few centimeters spotted by the video referee.

Strasbourg's Morgan Sanson has just opened the scoring against Lyon, on April 28, 2023 in Strasbourg © Frederick FLORIN / AFP

Stung to the quick, Strasbourg responded in the best way a few minutes later. At the reception six meters of a lucky control of Bellegarde of the chest, Morgan Sanson deceived Lopes and scored his first goal with Strasbourg (15th).

Réveil lyonnais

The supporters of the Meinau, sold out for the 24th match in a row, gave a lot of voices in the minutes that followed... until the awakening of Lyon.

First, on a corner in the 32nd minute, Castello Lukeba equalized with a header, just after a save by Matz Sels on a first header from Corentin Tolisso, on corner.

Lyon's Maxence Caqueret (r) battles with Strasbourg's Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, on April 28, 2023 in Strasbourg © Frederick FLORIN / AFP

Then, four minutes later, Lyon took the lead on a low strike from Maxence Caqueret, too alone at the entrance of the box.

The score, 2-1 at the break, could have been more severe, but Lyon narrowly missed technical on several breakthroughs.

After this turnaround, Strasbourg stalled, and almost conceded a third goal on a strike from Alexandre Lacazette, which hit the post of Matz Sels.

But the end of the match was balanced, and Strasbourg created several chances to equalize.

Habib Diallo scored his 18th goal of the season in the 70th minute from a free-kick, but was penalized for a foul on Anthony Lopes, who had caught the ball.

Strasbourg got their last shots on free-kicks in the final minutes, especially after Lukeba was sent off for a second yellow in the 92nd minute. But even the rise of Matz Sels in the Lyon area at the end of stoppage time did not change the game.

© 2023 AFP