Lyon stage stunning late fightback to beat Lille in seven-goal thriller
Lille were quick out of the blocks and almost caught Lyon cold on four minutes when Gabriel Gudmundsson robbed Clinton Mata on the visitors' byline, but his cutback to the usually-clinical Jonathan David was well saved by Anthony Lopes.
Despite getting a touch, there was nothing that Lopes could do on 21 minutes when Bafode Diakité rose highest to flick Yusuf Yazıcı’s long free-kick into the top corner.
Yazıcı was forced off just five minutes later and his replacement Edon Zhegrova had an immediate sighter tipped around the post by the busy Lopes.
After Alexandre Lacazette then headed over from Mata’s cross, Zhegrova made Lyon pay this time around. A disastrous short goal kick was given away to David who laid the ball off to the Albanian international to bury low into the corner from the edge of the box on 37 minutes.
Lyon’s only defeat in their last eight in all competitions was against champions Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago and they came out in the second half invigorated.
On 65 minutes, Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent surging clear by Nemanja Matic and linked up with Lacazette to tee up Said Benrahama, who finished with aplomb high into the top corner. The goal was confirmed by the VAR after the flag from the linesman was confirmed as being incorrect.
Buoyed by this, Pierre Sage brought the cavalry off the bench with a raft of attacking subs and two of them combined for a leveller on 82 minutes. Mama Balde left Ismaily in his wake with a burst of pace down the right and his cutback was stabbed home by Malick Fofana at the back post.
However, Lyon’s fragility from set pieces was exposed on 85 minutes by Diakite again as he was left unmarked to bury a bullet header from Angel Gomes’ corner.
Incredibly, though, the goals just kept coming as the game swung again on 88 minutes. Two former Arsenal men combined for Lyon as Maitland-Niles picked out Lacazette to finish into the roof of the net from close range.
Lyon were not content with a point and used their momentum to knick all three points in stoppage time as Balde nodded home Mata’s cross to move his side up to seventh, just two points off the European places.
Brest still occupy the last automatic Champions League qualification spot ahead of Lille.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Lyon)