Olympique Lyonnais qualified without great difficulty or panache for the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a draw against FC Porto (1-1) on Thursday March 18, thanks to their 1-0 victory in the 8and first leg final on March 9.
Four days after being routed on this same lawn of Décines-Charpieu by Rennes (4-2) in Ligue 1, Lyon obtained their ticket for the quarters without having had to deliver a great match against a rather disappointing Portuguese formation. and lacking weight in attack. The Portuguese thus conceded a goal in the 13and minute against Moussa Dembélé, before quickly equalizing on a magnificent volley from the Brazilian Pepe in the 27thand minute.
Still undefeated this season in the competition (six wins, two draws), OL thus confirmed their solid performance already delivered during the first leg, on March 9, at the Dragon stadium. This qualification thus allows the club of Jean-Michel Aulas to keep the hope of winning the event to join the Champions League next season, which currently seems very unlikely via the championship for the Rhodaniens, only tenth. , 9 points from the podium.
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No “recovery” for Monaco
Earlier in the evening, AS Monaco did no better than a 1-1 draw against Braga. The Monegasques, who lost 2-0 in the 8and first leg, say goodbye to the competition.
Before the meeting, the Monegasque coach, Philippe Clement, nevertheless believed “possible to make this ascent”. The handball of his goalkeeper Alexander Nübel on a shot certainly blocked but distant from Abel Ruiz (20and) very quickly thwarted his hopes. The Belgian coach, who arrived in January on the Rock, is going through a bad patch: the Principality club has won only one of its last eight matches.
Meanwhile, in the brand new Europa League Conference, Olympique de Marseille qualified, not without fear, for the quarter-finals thanks to a 2-1 victory against Basel, after winning by the same score at the first leg.
The Marseillais were however scared, with a missed penalty before cashing, in the 62and minute, a goal from former Niçois Ndoye, who canceled their goal in advance of the first leg. At that moment, OM were no longer qualified. But Sampaoli had weapons on the bench and that made the difference. Gerson, Milik and Kamara came in and the Brazilian, in great form, made an immediate impact.
On the left, he eliminated Tavares and offered a perfect cross to Under, scorer with a volley from the left (1-1, 74and). Marseille then controlled the game, before widening the gap in added time with a goal from Rongier (90and+2).
Twelve minor injuries in Rennes
Rennes, on the other hand, will not take part in their first quarter-final of a European Cup despite winning 2-1 against Leicester, at the end of an 8and breathless final return.
The goal conceded in the 93and minute in the first leg will have weighed heavily. Despite a proper siege of the English cages, in a tense final where the Rennais demanded a penalty in vain, the Bretons did not manage to overcome the handicap of 2-0 conceded last week on the ground of 12and of the Premier League.
Coach Bruno Genesio had warned: the start was going to be crucial. And unlike the first leg, Rennes did not miss their first quarter of an hour, deploying a lot of energy and vivacity, but also, this time, success, with a goal from Bourigeaud from the 8th.and minute. The stadium exulted so much that a barrier broke when the RCK Ultras rushed down their turn, like every goal scored at Roazhon Park. According to the prefecture, twelve people were slightly injured, including two taken to hospital for suspected wrist or ankle fractures.
“We missed the VAR”
Stunned by the equalizer for Wesley Fofana’s Leicester in the 50and minute, the Rennais struggled to get back on track, until Flavien Tait, served by Serhou Guirassy after impressive work from Adrien Truffert, revived the suspense with a fine cross shot at ground level (2 -1.76and).
In a tense atmosphere, the Rennes claimed a penalty for a handball from a defender on the very last free kick, but the Greek referee Tasos Sidiropoulos whistled the end of the match in some confusion. “We missed the VAR. When we organize a European competition, we must organize it under the same conditions as the other European competitions, otherwise it is useless.lambasted Genesio.
