Olympique Lyon- AS Monaco: A Twist In The Race For Europe (3-1)

A historic penalty was not enough for AS Monaco, as they started well but fell away under second half pressure from an uneven Olympique Lyon performance. It was a game that could have settled one of the European places, but instead left the race to Europe open for more twists and turns. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

Monaco took a step closer to securing fourth place and Europa League football for next season with their draw against fifth-place Lille last weekend. Manager Philippe Clement and his side had come under pressure following a run of poor performances against Lens and Montpellier. However, a recent formation shift against Lille and Angers had worked to limit opponent chances.

A win in this match would be enough to secure European football with two games remaining and so it was little surprise that Clement once again used his new 3-4-2-1 formation. Alexander Nübel was in goal behind the back three of Caio Henrique, Chrislain Matsima, and Axel Disasi. On the flanks, wing-backs Ismail Jakobs and Vanderson played either side of the two-man midfield of Youssouf Fofana and Eliot Matazo. In attack, Wissam Ben Yedder returned as a number nine, and behind him the two attacking midfielders of Aleksandr Golovin and Maghnes Akliouche. 

For Lyon, an inconsistent season marked by confusing results and behind-the-scenes tensions continued with their loss to Clermont Foot. It looked as if European football was out of sight, but with the draw between Monaco and Lille, the gap between Lyon and Lille only extended to five points meaning that there was still life in their campaign as they came into . . .