Lyon not fazed by Bayern test after claiming two big European scalps
● Buoyed by knocking out Juve and City, French side bid to reach final for first time
LYON
V BAYERN MUNICH
Champions League semi-final Estádio José Alvalade
Tonight, 8pm Live on BT Sport 1
Having already eliminated Juventus and Manchester City, the task of overcoming the final hurdle to reach a first Champions League final suddenly seems less daunting for Lyon.
Even if the French club’s semi-final opponents this evening are a Bayern Munich side who have just humiliated Barcelona 8-2.
“Their performance against Barca proved that Bayern remain an excellent team and one that mustn’t be taken lightly,” Lyon forward Maxwel Cornet said. “We’ve knocked out some really big teams... that shows we’re every bit as good as those teams,” added the striker whose goal set Lyon on the way to a 3-1 victory over a City side that is the mostexpensively assembled in football history.
Financially there is a lot at stake for Lyon. Beyond the huge prestige of winning the European Cup for the first time, Lyon have to win the final just to qualify for next season’s competition after only finishing seventh in a French league season curtailed by the pandemic.
But Lyon did take Paris Saintgermain to penalties in the French League Cup final last month, only to lose the shootout. “To be part of a squad that is quietly and humbly writing history is really, really nice,” the 23-year-old Cornet said. “We have a young squad. I think you can feel that on the pitch.”
Just look at the midfield. There’s academy graduate Houssem Aouar and defensive midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who are both 22. And 20-yearold Maxence Caqueret also rose through the ranks at Lyon.
“Lyon really are a very good team tactically,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. “They can play on the break, and they have killers in their ranks who punished City mercilessly. We have to make sure we’re wide awake. Any mistake can be quickly punished and you’re quickly out.”
Bayern were Lyon’s opponents when the Ligue 1 side last reached a Champions League semi-final in 2010, with the German team winning 4-0 over two legs. This time, due to the pandemic constrained format, the semi-final is a single game without fans in Lisbon.
“Even though, from a German point of view, they are the least known entity amongst the semi-finalists, I also know that they always show up in big games,” said Bayern midfielder Corentin Tolisso.
Tolisso should know a lot about them. He was part of the Lyon side which made it to the last four of the Europa League in 2017, losing to Ajax. “It’s incredible,” he said. “Since I left Lyon, I’ve been wondering when I’ll get the chance to play against them and meet them again. I never thought it would happen in the Champions League semi-finals.”
Bayern are the overwhelming favourites after the demolition of Barcelona. However, while the Bavarians are the undisputed force of German football – winning the last eight Bundesliga titles – they have failed to carry that form over to Europe. It is seven years since Bayern won the last of their five European titles.
Like Lyon with the arrival of Rudi Garcia, Bayern are also reaping the rewards of a midseason managerial change. Hansi Flick replaced Niko Kovac in November, leading a revival powered by Robert Lewandowski’s goals. The striker’s tally for the season moved to 54 in the Barca rout.
“You’ve seen we’ve got a good scoring rate,” Neuer said. “We’re flexible and have a lot of players who can score goals. I think we’re just in form.”