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Olympique Lyon have done the unthinkable and progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League by beating Manchester City, who were being touted as title favourites, going into the quarter-finals. The Lyon players put on an inspired display to overcome the odds and beat Pep Guardiola's side.
Pep's 3-at-the back system perhaps proved to be Manchester City's undoing on the night. It's not like his players covered themselves in glory either. They struggled against Lyon's spirited display and have now got eliminated in the quarter-finals for the third time in a row.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that all the Lyon players were ready to give it their all and be at their best today and that's what gave them the edge over Manchester City. Without further ado, let's take a look at the 5 hits and flops from the game.
#5 Hit- Karl Toko-Ekambi (Olympique Lyon)
Toko-Ekambi never stopped running and covered every blade of grass on the field with the enthusiasm of a toddler at recess. Ekambi led the Lyon line admirably after being chosen ahead of Moussa Dembele and his hard work paid off.
It was Ekambi who brought down a long ball brilliantly and set up fellow Ivorian Maxwell Cornet for Lyon's opening goal of the night. He showed great sense of awareness to let the ball run through his legs and onto Dembele for Lyon's second after realizing that he was offside and deciding not to interfere with the play.
Ekambi continued to pose a threat till the very end and was crucial to Lyon's counters and always gave the Manchester City backline something to think about.
#4 Flop- Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
It's perhaps harsh to tag Raheem Sterling a flop as he was one of Manchester City's better players for the majority of the game. However, at a stage as big as the UEFA Champions League, it is the margins that make a difference.
After Lyon had extended their lead to 2-1, Raheem Sterling got a dream of a delivery from the right side of the box from Gabriel Jesus. With an open goal gaping at him and everyone else involved standing flat footed, Sterling skied the ball and squandered the chance to restore parity.
It was the simplest of tap-ins and the Englishman made a mess of it. Lyon scored from their subsequent attack to put the result beyond doubt.
#3 Hit- Maxwel Cornet (Olympique Lyon)
Olympique Lyon's Maxwel Cornet has come back to haunt Manchester City again. The 23-year-old forward has been a thorn in Manchester City's neck every time he has come up against them and now has 4 goals in 3 games against the Cityzens.
Cornet was perhaps Lyon's best player on the night, occupying an advanced role on the left side and constantly giving the Manchester City defence something to think about with his movement and pressing. It was a tenacious display from the Ivorian and he deservedly opened the scoring for Lyon on the night.
Cornet also tracked back effectively and put in a great block to deny Raheem Sterling.
#2 Flop- Ederson Moraes (Manchester City)
Ederson had a terrible game. After being caught out of position and giving Cornet almost an open post to take a shot at for the first goal, Ederson could have done better for the second goal with the ball going into the back of the net after coming off his leg.
It was his mistake that cost Manchester City the third goal as well as he parried a blunt shot onto the path of Moussa Dembele and allowed him the opportunity to put the game to bed. Ederson should have been on top of his game today with Manchester City holding a high line and opting to go for a back 3 but he came nowhere close.
#1 Hit- Moussa Dembele (Olympique Lyon)
It's a night that Moussa Dembele would never forget. Deployed as a super-sub, Dembele had the biggest impact on the game. He was the first to react to a stray ball into City's defensive half and got himself one on one with Ederson before firing it home to restore Lyon's advantage after De Bruyne had made it 1-1.
Dembele then scored a poacher's goal as he put his striker's instincts on show and sniffed out a parried strike by Ederson and latched on to it and sent it home to win the game for Lyon. The super-sub won the game for Olympique Lyon just when City started to threaten to run away with. Tonight, he was the real difference maker.
