Bravewarriors lose out as Lyon roar in the semis
LYON 35 GLASGOW 27 An inspired performance by Glasgow was just not enough to take them into the Champions Cup semi-finals last night as top seeds Lyon finished the stronger side.
The Warriors were 14 points ahead early in the second half, but 22 unanswered points in the Stadium Matmut took the French team through to a last-four tie at home to Wasps.
Glasgow went behind to a second-minute Leo Berdeu penalty, but they soon got off the mark with a brilliant counterattack that ended with Josh Mckay winning the race for a kick ahead and touching down. Ross Thompson added the conversion.
After starting so brightly, Lyon started making some unforced errors as they went in search of a quick reply.
An offence in midfield gave Berdeu another chance to go for goal, however, and he narrowed the gap to a point with the 40-minute penalty.
Glasgow, who had basically lived off scraps up to that point, began to come into the game as an attacking force again with quarter of an hour on the clock.
Ali Price thought he had grabbed a second try for his side when he chased a kick ahead into the in-goal area, but after a replay referee Matt Carley ruled that the scrum-half’s opposite number Baptiste Couilloud had got a hand on the ball first.
For a team who had been up against it right from kickoff, Glasgow visibly grew in confidence as the half-hour mark drew near.
Good breaks by Sam Johnson and Cole Forbes saw them come close to extending their lead, but in the end it was another Thompson penalty that got the scoreboard ticking over again.
Lyon then had a try of their own chalked off for a neck roll on Zander Fagerson in the build-up. But there was no doubt at all, though, when scrum-half
Baptiste Couilloud took a quick tap penalty and darted over the line five minutes before the break. Berdeu converted, and it was all square at 13-13.
Then, in an inspired end to the first half, Cole Forbes put Glasgow back in front with a try in the left corner after excellent work by Mckay and Johnny Matthews.
Thompson converted to put his team 20-13 up with the last kick of the half.
The Warriors began the second half on the front foot, and ten minutes in they were awarded a penalty try when Lyon collapsed a lineout maul just short of their own line.
That made the lead 14 points, and to make things worse for Lyon, Berdeu was sent to the sin bin for the offence.
Jamie Bhatti was shown a yellow card just a minute later for
going in at the side, just before a brilliant double hit by Mckay and Rob Harley prevented a Lyon try.
With 25 minutes to go Lyon got a score back when Romain Taofifenua battered his way over the line. Doussain converted and it was game on again.
Five minutes further on, winger Davit Niniashvili finished off in the corner after a lightning counter-attack to take Lyon to within two points.
Berdeu was back out of the sinbin, but his conversion attempt went wide.
The stand-off made no mistake 10 minutes from time, putting his team back in front with a penalty.
With time running out Niniashvili made sure with his second try, Berdeu converted.
Warriors coach Danny Wilson said: “I think the yellow card to Jamie Bhatti was a turning
point, we struggled with a few kick-offs, and a few exits.
“That led to us playing in the wrong positions on the field, and the yellow card hurt us.
“A few tries came during that period. I think they changed their tactics by attacking us aerially. They kicked bomb after bomb after bomb and didn’t play any rugby because I think we defended pretty well against them on the whole.
“Off the back of those kicks, whether it was the counter rugby or the loose ball, they managed to play into some good field position.
“It was a tough end to that game, but I think commitment, effort, and heart for Glasgow Warriors was in abundance.
“We are disappointed having been in a good lead that we’ve ended up losing that game.”