Synonymous with qualifying for European competitions, the top 5 remains within reach of Olympique Lyonnais. On Friday April 28, the Lyonnais won 2-1 on the Strasbourg lawn, at the start of the 33rd day of Ligue 1. Above all, this victory allows Lyon to come back temporarily to three points behind fifth-placed Lille. With 53 points, Lyon also comes up to Rennes, sixth. Bad news for OL, accessible matches await Lille like Rennes, with the respective receptions of Ajaccio (19ᵉ) on Saturday and Angers@ (20ᵉ) on Sunday.
For Strasbourg, it is an opportunity to get closer to the maintenance which flies away. The Alsatian club remains 15ᵉ with 32 points, as many as Nantes (16ᵉ) and Brest (17ᵉ and first relegated), who will face each other on Wednesday, since the Canaries are playing the final of the Coupe de France on Saturday. In a lively start to the match, the first chances were the work of Strasbourg player Jeanricner Bellegarde. But the 25-year-old midfielder first stumbled on Anthony Lopes (8ᵉ) then, on the corner that followed, saw his lob pass just above Lopes' goal, beaten (9ᵉ).
On the following action, launched on the left of the surface, Bradley Barcola found the fault of a magnificent curling shot which, in a tight angle, came to hit the right bracket of the Strasbourg goal before finishing its race in the fillets (10ᵉ). But the goal was disallowed for an offside of a few centimeters spotted by video refereeing. Stung, Strasbourg responded in the best possible way a few minutes later. On receiving six meters from Bellegarde's lucky chest control, Morgan Sanson deceived Lopes and scored his first goal with Strasbourg (15ᵉ).
The supporters of La Meinau, sold out for the 24th game in a row, gave a lot of voice in the minutes that followed... until Lyon woke up. First, on a corner in the 32nd minute, Castello Lukeba equalized with a header, just after a rescue from Matz Sels on a first header from Corentin Tolisso, from a corner. Then, four minutes later, Lyon took the lead with a low shot from Maxence Caqueret, too alone at the edge of the area.
The score, 2-1 at the break, could have been more severe, but Lyon lacked technical accuracy on several breakthroughs. After this reversal of the situation, Strasbourg marked time, and almost conceded a third goal on a strike from Alexandre Lacazette, which hit the post of Matz Sels. But the end of the game was balanced, and Strasbourg created several chances to equalize.
Habib Diallo thought he scored his 18th goal of the season in the 70th minute by scoring with a header from a free kick, but he was penalized for a foul on Anthony Lopes, who had caught the ball. Strasbourg got their last shots from free-kicks in the dying minutes, especially after Lukeba was sent off for a second yellow in the 92nd minute. But even the rise of Matz Sels in the Lyon area after stoppage time did not change the situation.
