Karl Toko Ekambi illustrates the current difficulties of OL.
JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK -
AFP
At Parc OL,
When an OL meeting is slow to get carried away, nothing like a poorly mastered Anthony Lopes exit (the most famous pleonasm in Ligue 1) to act as a detonator.
Not sanctioned against Vagner Dias (25th), the Portuguese goalkeeper symbolized Sunday the feverishness of Lyonnais who failed to remain leaders of the championship, bowing against FC Metz (0-1).
A stalled dynamic
The contrast with the total confidence displayed in the first leg in Lorraine (1-3) only six weeks ago was obvious for OL.
Unable to impose real pressure for 45 minutes, despite the valuable activity of Maxence Caqueret, the Lyonnais thus allowed the Messins to glimpse a huge blow.
Between two posts for Farid Boulaya (42nd) and Pape Sarr (89th), Lyon has multiplied the fears.
Even if the stranglehold on the meeting of Rudi Garcia's players was more obvious after the break, Aaron Leya Iseka's goal (0-1, 90th) cannot be seen as an absolute hold-up.
And OL, now 3rd, find themselves two lengths behind the solid PSG-Losc tandem.
End of the state of grace for Toko Ekambi and Kadewere
From mid-October to Christmas, Karl Toko Ekambi and Tino Kadewere have accumulated an incredible total of 16 goals and 8 assists in Ligue 1. The two attacking friends of Memphis Depay are for the moment silent in 2021. Touched by the Covid-19 on the restart, Karl Toko Ekambi in particular wasted three opportunities in four minutes before the break on Sunday (35th, 37th, 39th), the last of which concluded with a recovery in the middle of the surface in the south turn.
(37th).
At his side, the former Le Havre is also in the hard, like an equally imprecise finish against Alexandre Oukidja (43rd, 52nd).
As it was not the night of OL, even rookie Islam Slimani also went there from his failed duel with Alexandre Oukidja at 0-0 for his first (82nd).
OL may consider themselves aggrieved
At 0-0, Karl Toko Ekambi still ended up unblocking the match (74th) by concluding an action initiated by Memphis Depay and Thiago Mendes.
But after several minutes of waiting, the VAR ended up canceling this decisive goal because of a very severe offside from Houssem Aouar, who did not really make play action immediately.
What if Lyon supporters still evoke this arbitration decision in four months?
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