Few would have imagined that the most entertaining match of the weekend in Europe would be offered by Olympique Lyonnais and Montpellier. Against all odds, the Groupama Stadium witnessed a vibrant match, full of emotions until the last second.
Alexandre Lacazette and Elye Wahi were the stars of the night, registering four goals each, although it was the former Arsenal who had the last word as they scored the final goal for the home team’s victory. After the match, the Brazilian Jeffinho referred to his team’s agonizing 5-4 victory.
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Jeffinho reacts to Lyon’s dramatic 5-4 win over Montpellier
“This match shows how our group never gives up on any match. We believed until the end, and with the support of our fans, we managed to turn around a difficult match to keep the three points. I am very happy to have participated in this moment with the Lyon shirt”, said the former Botafogo, who arrived in Lyon in January in exchange for 10 million euros.
The development of the match was full of twists and moments of suspense. Lacazette put the locals ahead at 31′, but Wahi responded with a flurry of goals at 40′ and 41′ to momentarily turn the score around. In the second half, the youngster from Montpellier struck twice again in the blink of an eye to increase the lead. At 55′ (two minutes after converting from a penalty), Wahi put Montpellier up 4-1.
Far from giving up, Lacazette reduced the gap to two goals at 59′. 11 minutes later, Dejan Lovren brought the hosts within just one goal of an equaliser, which reached 82′ thanks to their veteran centre-forward. To complete the comeback and end an unforgettable match, Lacazette scored from the penalty spot in the final seconds of the match (90+10′). Jeffinho didn’t start the game, but he experienced first-hand the epic night as came on for Johann Lepenant at 59′, just before Lacazette’s second goal.
“We have four more games in the league and our goal is to qualify for European competitions. So it’s about going game by game, always thinking about the next game and doing our part to achieve the goal”, added the Brazilian.
After 34 games, Lyon is seventh in the Ligue 1 standings with 56 points, three behind Lille, which is currently in the last place leading to a continental tournament (UEFA Conference League). The Europa League seems more utopian, since Monaco is fourth with 64 points, while the Champions League is directly ruled out for Lyon (Marseille is third with 70 points).
