Lyon stun PSG to boost Champions League hopes
First-half goals from Endrick and Afonso Moreira helped Olympique Lyonnais pick up a vital 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. Catch up on the final game of Matchday 30 in Ligue 1 McDonald's with our recap.
Quickfire goals and a big penalty save
Coming on the heels of a big Champions League tie against Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain made a host of changes for this final game of Matchday 30. Nuno Mendes, who had been forced off in the week, remained injured, and all of Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembélé, João Neves and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were on the bench as well. Lyon would be eager to take advantage of a changed side on the part of the hosts but would themselves have to contend with the absences of Corentin Tolisso, leading scorer Pavel Šulc and Nicolás Tagliafico. Paulo Fonseca would field a somewhat experimental 4-3-1-2 with Ruben Kluivert and Orel Mangala getting rare starts and Endrick back in the side alongside Afonso Moreira in attack.
With just six minutes gone, the Portuguese manager's decision had paid off handsomely, as the young Real Madrid loanee had put Les Gones ahead, beating Matvey Safonov at his near post. Safonov then had to be sharp six minutes later to punch clear a long-range effort from Vinicius Abner before PSG's first chance, a low shot by Lucas Beraldo that was easily saved by Dominik Greif. From the resulting corner, Lyon would then double their lead, with Moreira racing on to a long clearance by Endrick to make it 2-0 with eighteen minutes played.
PSG then grew into the match, and were presented with a golden opportunity to get back into the match after Ainsley Maitland-Niles brought down Lucas Hernández in the box, just moments after the Englishman had made a fine block on Bradley Barcola. However, Greif once again rose to the occasion, saving from Gonçalo Ramos to preserve his side's 2-0 lead. The match would reach the interval on the same scoreline, leaving the capital side in desperate need of inspiration.
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A resolute display from Lyon
The second half was slow to get going, and fully sprang to life after Enrique introduced Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia and Lee Kang-In, with the Georgian forcing a save from Greif at his near post just past the hour. From there, though, with Lyon remaining a danger on the counter, PSG continued to struggle to break down the visitors, and would come no closer to pulling a goal back until an effort from Dembélé crashed off the crossbar (75').
In added time, Kvaratskhelia would pull a goal back, but it mattered little as Lyon held on for three points. With the win, Lyon are now third (albeit on goal difference) while Paris Saint-Germain remain top, one point ahead of Lens with a game in hand. The capital side will next be in action in midweek against Nantes, while Lyon will take on Auxerre at home on Saturday.
