Houssem Aouar celebrates his goal of qualification in a very hung OL-OM (1-0). ROMAIN LAFABREGUE - AFP

  • If OL came to the end (1-0) of its Marseille rival, Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France, it owes in part to the talent of Houssem Aouar.
  • The promising international hopes thus registered the decisive goal of this "Olympico", a dozen minutes from the end.

At Parc OL,

At the start of 2020, does Houssem Aouar wish to honor Kobe Bryant, former king of NBA money time in his own way? At only 21, the Lyon midfielder is in any case in a prosperous period at the level of goals stacked in the ends of indecisive cup matches. The brilliant long-range strike of 2-1 against Losc (85th, before the equalization of Loïc Rémy)? It's him. Was the victory penalty transformed without trembling after stoppage time in Nice (1-2, 90th + 3)? It’s him too. And this heavy attempt synonymous with the last four in the Coupe de France, Wednesday against OM (1-0, 81st), it is obviously him.

⚽ Thanks to a jewel by Bertrand Traoré, Houssem Aouar finally finds the opening! 1-0 for Lyon!

▶ ️ #CDF Follow #OLOM live video: https://t.co/ZshWwf0NFu

🤔 Ask all your questions with #wiloosurftvsport pic.twitter.com/0slKueDer7

- France tv sport (@francetvsport) February 12, 2020

Add to that its wonder of coiled strike having helped to revive and qualify OL in the Top 16 of the Champions League, in December against RB Leipzig (2-2), and you have a preview of the new status taken by Houssem Aouar within his training club. With eight goals scored, all competitions combined, the international hopefuls have already beaten their total for the previous two seasons (seven). Clutch Houssem, who had already offered a success (1-2) to OL in additional time at Amiens in L1 in December 2017, was therefore radiant when it came to returning to this qualifier 'snatch.

"It hung by a thread, on both sides"

"It was a very complicated game, with few spaces," he says. It was hanging by a thread on both sides, and it's true that I've scored quite important goals lately. That of Wednesday, which he perceived "as a release" in such a match under high tension, pushes Houssem Aouar to look into his development this season. "I try a lot more things so necessarily there is a lot more success," he said, while especially emphasizing the nice masked service of Bertrand Traore on his goal.

However, it was to Houssem Aouar that Juninho launched his strongest compliment on OLTV: "Houssem has again made a great match". Conscious of not having "been able to influence the team's game enough", three days earlier in Ligue 1 at the Parc des Princes (4-2), the number 8 from Lyon highlights "the great strength of character of the group this season in cups "..

⚽ Obviously satisfied, Houssem Aouar underlined the pass of Bertrand Traoré who according to him "made all the difference" to allow him to register the only goal of the meeting #OLOM #CDF pic.twitter.com/BuguzlFc9U

- France tv sport (@francetvsport) February 12, 2020

"There is always this cerebral side in me"

At the microphone of Canal +, in the first sequence of the interesting "Dans la tête d'Houssem" broadcast on Sunday, he showed all his passion for his sport: "Five minutes before the match, I tell myself that it is necessary that I crash more. It is not to have fun but to bring something to the game. There is always this cerebral side in me. But sometimes you have to put your brain off and go for it more to be more confident. ”

"Sometimes it may be necessary to turn off the brain (...) Put the brain in OFF and go a little deeper ..." 🧠⚡️

"In the head of Houssem" - First Episode: @HoussemAouar (@OL) confided to @raphaeldome on his game, his mentality and his approach to matches for the #CFC 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/TldmBo9I4p

- Canal Football Club (@CanalFootClub) February 9, 2020

To punctuate his almost perfect evening, Houssem Aouar was arrested Wednesday by a supporter who was able to access the mixed zone. "Houssem, your strength is to be from Lyon, my boy," yelled the man, a few meters from the player, hilarious. Saving your average matches with lightning bolts in the last ten minutes, isn't that a strange force, by the way?

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