Olympique Lyon reminded Girondins Bordeaux they were still alive and the rest of Europe they could still be a threat in the Champions League with their victory in a thrilling first leg of the all-French quarter-final.
With many eyes focused on Tuesday’s more glamorous clash between Bayern Munich and Manchester United, the French teams offered an exciting contest.
Lyon won the game 3-1 courtesy of two goals from Argentine Lisandro Lopez but also thanks to shaky defending by their visitors and great saves from France ’keeper Hugo Lloris, taking a clear advantage into the second leg in Bordeaux next week.
PHOTO: EPA
There was plenty at stake for Lyon, who had won seven Ligue 1 titles in succession before surrendering their crown to Bordeaux last year, and they used the match to show their rivals they could still teach them a thing or two.
“It was a spectacular game with a good result for Lyon,” Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, whose side stunned heavyweights Real Madrid in the previous round, told reporters.
“It was really a high quality match with both sides looking for a knockout and plenty of goals,” he said.
Aulas, who used his entrepreneurial skills to turn Lyon from a sleepy provincial outfit into the measure of all things in France, thought the second leg would be equally as exciting.
“We will go to Bordeaux to score,” he said. “We could witness another great match there as well.”
While shining in Europe, Bordeaux have slowed down significantly in domestic action since the start of the year.
Although they still top the standings with two games in hand, they now have several sides breathing hard down their necks, among them Lyon.
Ironically, they played better on Tuesday than they had for a while but Lyon’s greater experience made the difference.
There is also a question mark over Bordeaux’s ability to handle big matches, already raised when they lost 3-1 to Olympique Marseille in the French League Cup final on Saturday.
“It’s a long time since I hadn’t seen Bordeaux play that well,” Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc told reporters.
“But we were too nervous at the back and that was the problem. We’re a young team. We still need to gain experience,” he said.
Blanc can take encouragement from the fact that Lyon will miss Lisandro and fellow forward Sidney Govou through suspensions for the return leg.
Bordeaux, meanwhile, will welcome back their captain and holding midfielder Alou Diarra, who served suspension on Tuesday.
“We will have opportunities to score, I’m sure, so what we have to concentrate on is how we defend,” Blanc said.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
RSS