PLAYER RATINGS | Lyon 3-1 Rennes: Alexandre Lacazette leads comeback

Lyon’s season continues to oscillate between dejection and glimmers of hope. In a virtually empty Groupama Stadium – a large section of the fans were boycotting the match in protest – the hosts overturned a first-half deficit against Rennes, scoring with all three of their shots on target to bounce back from their midweek Coupe de France defeat to Nantes.

It was a former Lyon man who struck first in Amine Gouiri, with the forward winning the ball back from Barcola’s muddled atempt to dribble out of his own penalty area, deftly breezing past Lukeba and finding the top corner with a sweeping finish.

The hosts’ defence would struggle to deal with Rennes’ high press, Bruno Génésio’s men flooding into the box at every opportunity as Anthony Lopes was made to work on several occasions. Lyon would nevertheless grow into the match, the captain Lacazette spearheading his side’s resurgence.

Their reward would eventually come on the hour mark, as Corentin Tolisso’s long range strike – his first goal since returning to Lyon this summer –  would find Alemdar’s top corner, quelling his team’s claims for a penalty shortly beforehand. Carried by a new-found momentum, Laurent Blanc’s men would continue to push on and struck again through another veteran to take the lead – Lacazette this time, volleying in from close range after Lepenant’s missed shot veered into a cross.

The former Arsenal man would again be instrumental for Lyon’s third, dragging away several defenders from the middle of the box as Rayan Cherki’s cross was deflected into the path of Barcola, and the 20-year-old made no mistake in dispatching his fifth of the season. 

Just five points now separate Lyon and fifth-place Lille – despite crashing out of the Coupe de France, which once looked like their only chance at avoiding another season out of Europe, Blanc’s men now have a slim hope at rescuing their season. Whether they can grab that opportunity with both hands, seemingly, rests on whether the old heads can rally the troops. The fact that Laurent Blanc made no substitutions during the game is symbolic – his starting eleven are capable of passive performances, just as much as they can blow away their opponents with attacking verve, all in the same match.

Lyon player ratings 

Anthony Lopes, 6

Saël Kumbedi, 5

Sinaly Diomandé, 6

Castello Lukeba, 7

Nicolás Tagliafico, 5

Maxence Caqueret, 5

Corentin Tolisso, 6 

Johann Lepenant, 6

Rayan Cherki, 6 – Somewhat wasteful to start with, but the playmaker was influential in Lyon’s second-half comeback, aided by the swathes of space left behind the Rennes defence – exemplified by his impressive run in the lead-up to Barcola’s goal.

Bradley Barcola, 6 

Alexandre Lacazette, 7 – The captain led by example, causing the Rennes defence issues even during the hosts’ middling first-half performance, before volleying in from close range for his team’s second – his eighteenth of a successful first campaign back in Ligue 1. Vital contribution to the third goal in dragging away three defenders to give Barcola the space to score. 

 Rennes player ratings

Doğan Alemdar, 4

Hamari Traoré, 5

Warmed Omari, 5

Arthur Theate, 5

Birger Meling, 6

Benjamin Bourigeaud, 4 

Baptiste Santamaria, 5

Lesley Ugochukwu, 5

Amine Gouiri, 6 – The Lyon academy graduate was the most dangerous man in the first half, finding the net first and getting on the end of several of the visitors’ counter-attacks – but somewhat fizzled away as the game went on. 

Lovro Majer, 4 – Impressed in Rennes’ lightning-quick start to the game, but like his fellow attacking-minded players showed very little afterwards, and showed a lack of awareness as well as poor decision-making in the few chances that came his way when the opponents grew into the game. Replaced by Flavien Tait with twenty minutes to go.

Arnaud Kalimuendo, 4

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin