Moussa Dembele got here off the bench to attain two late objectives as Lyon brought on one other Champions League sensation on Saturday, dumping out Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City with a Three-1 quarter-final win in Lisbon. Manchester Metropolis had seemed on the right track to return again and win the tie behind closed doorways on the Estadio Jose Alvalade after Kevin De Bruyne’s objective halfway by means of the second half had cancelled out Maxwel Cornet’s first-half opener. Nevertheless, Dembele put Lyon again forward within the 79th minute after which capitalised on a stunning miss by Raheem Sterling to clinch the victory three minutes from the tip.
In opposition to all expectations, a workforce who completed seventh within the curtailed French season, and had performed simply two aggressive video games since early March, now discover themselves by means of to a Champions League semi-final on Wednesday towards Bayern Munich.
That, certainly, might be a step too far for Rudi Garcia’s workforce however then once more no one anticipated them to eliminate Juventus in the last round, by no means thoughts knock out Metropolis right here.
“We’re nonetheless in it, which suggests we’ve got an awesome workforce,” former Celtic striker Dembele instructed French tv channel RMC Sport.
“We’re taking it sport by sport, not getting carried away. We’ll attempt to be prepared for Bayern.”
Guardiola’s workforce had been warned about Lyon, shedding at house after which drawing away towards the French membership in final season’s Champions League.
However that was virtually two years in the past now and Lyon had misplaced a number of key gamers since then.
This, a day after Bayern’s Eight-2 demolition of Barcelona, is a seismic shock and a hammer blow to the ambitions of Metropolis beneath Guardiola.
Their anticipate European glory will go on, with this a 3rd consecutive quarter-final exit.
“It’s what it’s. Possibly someday we’re going to break by means of the quarter-finals. We’re not capable of do it now, with these unbelievable guys, however we’re going to attempt sooner or later,” Guardiola mentioned.
He was delivered to the Etihad Stadium to ship the Champions League, however he has not managed to equal the membership’s finest efficiency so far within the competitors, a semi-final look in 2016, simply earlier than he was appointed.
Franco-German battle
And so, a yr after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English last, there might be no English consultant within the semi-finals within the Portuguese capital.
As a substitute each ties might be Franco-German duels, with Paris Saint-Germain dealing with RB Leipzig earlier than Bayern meet Lyon in a repeat of the 2010 semi-finals.
Guardiola had set his workforce up with a three-man defence, as Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte had been joined by the younger Spaniard Eric Garcia. Phil Foden dropped out of their line-up.
Metropolis created little within the first half and had been caught out by a protracted ball excessive as Lyon took the lead.
Garcia raced again to deal with Karl Toko-Ekambi however Cornet was quickest to the free ball and, with Ederson off his line, curled a low shot first-time into the nook of the web to maintain up his outstanding document towards these opponents — the wing-back scored 3 times towards Metropolis in final season’s two conferences.
De Bruyne appeared the most definitely to make one thing occur for Metropolis and threatened from free-kicks after the restart, as Metropolis turned up the warmth following the introduction of Riyad Mahrez instead of Fernandinho.
The equaliser duly arrived within the 69th minute as Mahrez clipped a ball ahead in the direction of Sterling and he reduce it again from the byline to De Bruyne, the Belgian arriving unmarked on the fringe of the field to sidefoot house.
Sterling’s superb miss
Few would have wager towards Metropolis occurring to win the sport from there. Lyon had supplied nothing going ahead within the second half and coach Garcia even determined to take off Memphis Depay, who had been nameless.
But it surely proved an impressed resolution as his substitute Dembele latched onto Houssem Aouar’s by means of ball to race by means of on objective and beat Ederson.
Metropolis anticipated the trouble to be disallowed following a VAR overview however the Dutch officers let it stand, and Lyon had been again in entrance.
Promoted
Nonetheless they need to have been pegged again once more, however Sterling someway put the ball over with the objective gaping having been teed up by Ilkay Gundogan.
Lyon went straight downfield and sealed a well-known victory as Dembele transformed the free ball after Ederson had saved from Aouar.
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