Ligue 1, Round 16, 15/12/23
A late Jeffinho goal secured a vital win for Olympique Lyonnais over AS Monaco (0-1), just their third of the season, but their second on the bounce. The three points lift them out of the relegation zone, for now.
Pierre Sage is working wonders at Lyon. He has only been in charge for four games, but he already has two wins with Les Gones, and that is enough to help ease the crisis at the club. Lyon started brightly with Maxence Caqueret and Corentin Tolisso striking a good partnership and disrupting Monaco’s rhythm in the first half, but it was Monaco who manufactured the better chances in the first half.
Folarin Balogun forced a good save from Anthony Lopes, and minutes later, he should have done better with a header, but having mistimed his jump ever so slightly, he couldn’t direct it on target. Maghnes Akliouche then forced a good save from Lopes, who got down well to his left to palm the effort around goal.
Monaco began to knock on the door with more ferocity in the second half. Mohamed Camara hit the outside of the post with a driven effort from the edge of the box, whilst Youssouf Fofana, who was highly influential in midfield, almost got on the scoresheet, but missed two good chances, the first a half-volley, the second a header from a corner.
Balogun then shot just wide before then drawing another save from Lopes. Monaco were pushing but it was Lyon who would, against the run of play, snatch a late and memorable victory. Monaco were too aggressive in a transitional phase, committed too many to the press on the halfway line and left themselves exposed.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was in plenty of space inside the box to pick put Jeffinho, who with his first touch off the bench, finished past a sprawling Philipp Köhn. Les Monégasques couldn’t fashion any clear chances and therefore succumbed to just their second defeat at the Stade Louis II all season. They remain third, but could be caught by Lille OSC should they beat Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon are, for now out of the relegation zone and currently occupy the relegation play-off spot.
Monaco player ratings
Philipp Köhn – 5
Mohammed Salisu – 5
Denis Zakaria – 6
Wilfried Singo – 6
Ismail Jakobs – 4
Mohamed Camara – 5
Youssouf Fofana – 6
Culpable of a couple of sloppy passes, Fofana, who was wearing the captain’s armband on the night, quickly took control of the game and was Nice’s principal instigator, allowing Monaco to get up the pitch and be dangerous thanks to his vertical ball carrier. After getting on the scoresheet against Rennes last weekend, he almost did so again, but his flashed half-volley was a little rushed and flew wide. Fofana is becoming increasingly important to Monaco and is clearly assuming his role as one of the leaders of this team.
Krépin Diatta – 4
Takumi Minamino – 4
Maghnes Akliouche – 4
Folarin Balogun – 4
Lyon player ratings
Anthony Lopes – 6
Duje Caleta-Car – 5
Dejan Lovren – 5
Jake O’Brien – 5
Nicolas Tagliafico – 4
Corentin Tolisso – 6
The former France international was a good disruptor for Lyon and was also efficient in transition, particularly in the first half.
Maxence Caqueret – 7
Sprightly in the midfield and effective too, winning many of his duels and managing to beat the press frequently. The lack of options ahead of him prevented him from having a more decisive impact on a match in which he nonetheless made his presence felt.
Clinton Mata – 5
Rayan Cherki – 4
Cherki has often been accused of being more style over substance, but that style isn’t showing through either currently, or at least not often. He had one moment in the 35th minute, where he beat his man and had a nice interchange, but other than that, he was completely peripheral and guilty of some sloppy passing.
Ernest Nuamah – 4
Alexandre Lacazette – 5
