Lyon off and running at Dinamo's expense
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
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Corentin Tolisso's towering first-half header was added to by Jordan Ferrri and Maxwel Cornet as Lyon began impressively with a 3-0 victory at home to Dinamo Zagreb.
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Lyon made a solid start to Group H with a dominant display against Dinamo Zagreb.
The French side lost all three home games in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League but produced a 13th-minute breakthrough when Corentin Tolisso rose highest to head in Rafael's right-wing cross via the underside of the crossbar.
Having dominated the first half without making it really count, Lyon made no such mistake in the second period. First Jordan Ferri collected Maxwel Cornet's clever pass to clip a composed finish over the advancing Adrian Šemper; then Cornet exchanged passes with Tolisso before prodding wide of the 18-year-old goalkeeper.
Key player: Corentin Tolisso (Lyon)
Tolisso scored twice for France's Under-21s last week and continued his clinical run to become the first player to register a UEFA Champions League goal at the Stade de Lyon. He opted to stay at Lyon this summer in the face of high-profile interest from elsewhere, and showed again he will be a key figure for OL this season.
OL's 3-5-1-1
Bruno Genesio's hitherto untried system was an overwhelming success. Lyon's movement was first-class as wing-backs Maciej Rybus and Rafael supplied width and menace. Meanwhile, the mobile Maxwel Cornet, 19, led the line superbly and deserved his goal, while the midfielders got into the box at will with Tolisso and Ferri on the scoresheet. Genesio may have come to this formation because of injuries, but it definitely worked as Lyon played with freedom and enterprise, overrunning their opponents in the middle of the park. However, it may be harder to repeat the trick against Sevilla or Juventus.
Dinamo's domestic dominance no help
Dinamo Zagreb have dominated the Croatian championship for years and they cruised through qualifying, yet they have repeatedly come up short against the top teams in Europe. With three key players leaving recently in the shape of Marko Pjaca, Marko Rog and Eduardo, it is hard to envisage anything different this time round.
Reporter's view
David Crossan, Lyon (@UEFAcomDavidC)
This was a night when Lyon proved they could win a UEFA Champions League game without Alexandre Lacazette. Their star forward's absence with a hamstring problem is likely be more keenly felt at Sevilla in a fortnight, although by then Nabil Fekir and Mathieu Valbuena should be back to lend attacking weight to an injury-ravaged squad. This was massively encouraging from a young Lyon side, although sterner tests await.
Elvir Islamović, Dinamo (@UEFAcomElvirI)
From the first moment it was obvious this match was only going one way. Nobody expected Dinamo to attack recklessly, but they struggled all over the pitch and looked leaky in defence. El Arabi Hilal Soudani and Mario Šitum both hit the crossbar, yet without the departed Pjaca, Rog and Eduardo, this could be a tough European season.