Lacazette keeps Lyon alive with Dinamo win
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
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Alexandre Lacazette tapped in a 72nd-minute winner in Croatia to keep Lyon in Group H contention and end the campaign of a Dinamo Zagreb side still without a point or goal.
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Alexandre Lacazette kept alive Lyon's hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a second-half winner at Dinamo Zagreb, who are still searching for their first point and goal.
While a draw would have been enough for Lyon to guarantee third place in Group H, the French side bristled with intent and came closest to a first-half breakthrough when Mathieu Valbuena set up Jordan Ferri for a deflected shot that came back off the crossbar.
Dinamo, chasing some reward for their efforts in this season's competition, passed up a decent opening themselves when Amer Gojak was unable to connect properly with a close-range header. Lyon looked the more threatening overall, however, Ferri's fierce strike blocked by goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, before Rafael – a lively presence throughout – broke down the right again and set up Lacazette for a tap-in.
Key player: Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon)
Out injured on matchday one, the striker showed he is back to his sharpest. He now has five goals in his last six games and proved he doesn't need a second invitation to score. In Zagreb he had to wait patiently for his chance amid some close marking, but when he did manage to find space, he underlined precisely why he is the key Lyon player.
Génésio gamble pays off
Bruno Génésio's starting XI caused some surprise among the French media. The Lyon coach switched formation and left four first-team regulars on the bench. He obviously had a vision, but it didn't go the way he wanted. Lyon were dominating, making some promising opportunities, yet that was as far as it went – until Lacazette stepped in.
Dinamo's youthful line-up
This was the moment for Dinamo's youthful prospects to showcase what they can do, as boss Ivaylo Petev selected four 19-year-olds and, in total, started with seven players aged under 24. Dinamo have the youngest team in the UEFA Champions League group stage and here they revealed glimpses of their potential. It is a good sign for the club that they can seriously think about building their future on young local talent.
Reporter's view
Elvir Islamović (@UEFAcomElvirI)
Dinamo had two aims tonight: keep a clean sheet and score their first goal of this group stage. They achieved neither, but they conjured up plenty of passion and motivation. In fact, they had some decent openings but given their preoccupation with defending, they couldn't easily switch to an attacking mindset. Lyon were not at their best, which gave the home side a chance, but Dinamo do not have a player like Lacazette, who was the difference tonight.
