OL find their way back to success in Brest

“If we look at the evening, it is very negative of course. You have to go through these moments, live them to try to have a positive reaction on the 28th, because it is the most important match. The reference match is December 28 and whatever the result of the evening, I would have said the same thing.. With these words, pronounced at the end of a defeat against Monza, six days ago, on the occasion of his 5th and last winter preparation match, Laurent Blanc gave an appointment to his players, this evening , at the Francis-Le-Blé stadium in Brest, where OL were expected with a different face. An Olympique Lyonnais 8th, 15 points from the Champions League, for the moment promised to Lensois (2nd). And who was deprived of three full-backs with starting status against the 17th in Ligue 1: Malo Gusto and Henrique, injured at the very end of preparation and Nicolas Tagliafico, very recent world champion with Argentina.

A doubt remained. From the first moments, OL’s experimental defense, with the young Saël Kumbedi (17) aligned on the right side, a Diomandé-Lukeba hinge and Da Silva established on the left, left space for the locals. Wet firecracker. The first Brest offensive was unsuccessful. And Lyon took the game on its own. Even unrolled. Rayan Cherki tried his luck first. Number 10 of the evening, the hope of a whole people sent a long shot which burst on the soggy lawn of Francis-Le-Blé and forced Marco Bizot to intervene with the right hand (3rd). After a combination with Lacazette in the area, Tetê forced the Dutch goalkeeper to intervene on foot (6th). At the quarter of an hour of play, the center of Cherki, deposited on the head of Lacazette, did not find a happy ending (15th). This came from the foot of the same ‘Lacaz’, which offered Maxence Caqueret, 22, his first goal in Ligue 1, on the occasion of his 83rd appearance (0-1, 21st).

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Brest – OL: the official line-ups

Cherki and Lacazette leave no hope in Brest

Timid until then, Stade Brestois 29 was waiting for the Lyon opener to react. And lacked equalization by a hair. Launched on the right side, Honorat deposited a precise cross at the penalty spot, where Steve Mounié, alone against the open goal, chose a very complicated tackle from outside the right and missed the target (23rd). The Breton reaction finally came from the foot of Mathias Pereira Lage, who on a free kick full axis took advantage of an unfortunate deviation from Karl Toko-Ekambi to deceive the vigilance of Anthony Lopes (1-1, 29th). Enterprising, Rayan Cherki put Lyon back in working order. Served by Maxence Caqueret, the young number 18, silent for more than a year, erased Lilian Brassier at the entrance to the area and pierced Marco Bizot with a powerful left shot (1-2, 32nd). And Lyon drove the point home from the penalty spot when Brendan Chardonnet played goalkeepers in his area. Alexandre Lacazette did not tremble and gave the Lyonnais a two-step lead. Perfect opposite of the former Gunner against the exercise specialist goalkeeper (1-3, 35th).

When they returned from the locker room, Lyon did not relax their efforts. Clever in the middle, Toko Ekambi found Tetê, who alone at the far post scored a 4th goal (1-4, 48′). In the (very) hard, the Finisterians reacted in fits and starts. Like on this header from Steve Mounié, which bounced off the top of the crossbar from Lopes (53rd). Shifted by former Lyonnais Islam Slimani, Franck Honorat was then very close to closing the gap, but Da Silva’s sacrifice paid off (68th). Unhappy twice, Steve Mounié finally made the supporters present stand up, clever with a header from a corner struck by Del Castillo (2-4, 73rd). In continuity, Toko Ekambi was deprived of a double, the fault of Marco Bizot, heroic on this flight (74th). Despite the jump initiated by Mounié, Brest did not manage to thwart Lyon’s management. OL (8th) found their football and the path to success in Brest (17th).