Dembele the hero as Lyon coach Garcia hails team spirit

SHOWS:

LISBON, PORTUGAL (AUGUST 15, 2020) (UEFA – NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY “©UEFA 2020”)

1. OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND PLAYER, MAXWEL CORNET, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (French) OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:

“We’ve seen a very high-level state of mind, a quite incredible collective spirit. Everyone worked hard to help the team and each other. And as we have planned – I’ll end with this – the saving grace came from the bench, too, since the five that came in did very well, and Moussa (Dembele) made the difference.”

3. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:

“We’re proud of what we did, I’m especially proud of my players. The score was at 3-1 against the favourite team to play in the Champions League, which means that we had a very, very good match. We did well in all aspects. We won the tactical battle, we also won the battle of communication because we were united, we encouraged each other.”

5. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:

“We adapted to the suspension of Ligue 1, we had two months – eight weeks – of pre-season, that’s quite massive. Our fitness coach, Paolo Rongoni, really concocted the perfect solution for our players. And another thing is the mind guides the legs. This didn’t prevent some of my players to be exhausted at the end, (Fernando) Marcal I think had cramps. But when we play against City, when we start with zero, then we lead with one, I think we’ve seen how much the players are capable of digging deep and finding unexpected resources.”

7. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:

“I think appetite comes as we continue eating, I think our confidence levels are growing in this squad, our results have shown that, but we’ll of course be the outsiders against Bayern Munich. We’ll again need to pull off a shock result, just as we did against Juventus and tonight against Manchester City. So, we won’t be the best-placed to reach the final, but when in the last four of the Champions League, we can tell ourselves that we deserve it. And if we reach the final, that will be really well-deserved, that’s for sure.”

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9. NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING

STORY: Olympique Lyonnais manager Rudi Garcia said winning the tactical battle with Pep Guardiola’s side had been the key to his team’s surprise 3-1 win in the Champions League quarter-final on Saturday (August 15).

The victory sends Lyon, who finished seventh in the French league, into a clash with German champions and tournament favourites Bayern Munich in Lisbon on Wednesday (August 19).

Lyon were able to exploit the space left in midfield by Guardiola’s decision to play an extra defender and when Manchester City reverted to their normal, attacking formation, the French side punished them on the break.

Garcia left striker Moussa Dembele on the bench but the former Celtic forward responded with two goals after coming on in the second half.

“The saving grace came from the bench,” Garcia said. “Moussa made the difference.”

Named as a substitute by coach Rudi Garcia, who chose Memphis Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi up front instead, the 24-year-old Dembele scored shortly after coming on in the 75th minute and then wrapped up the win three minutes from time.

His goals prompted wild scenes on the streets of Lyon on Saturday as fans gathered in the city centre, dancing and lighting flares to celebrate their victory over pre-match favourites City.

Garcia also praised his side’s team spirit and revealed that Ligue 1’s decision not to resume following the COVID-19 pandemic had benefited the team.

“We adapted to the suspension of Ligue 1, we had eight weeks of pre-season, it’s massive. Our fitness coach really came up with the perfect solution for our players,” he explained, while also conceding that his players tired towards the end.

They managed to hold on to their 3-1 lead, and a semi-final against German giants Bayern Munich now awaits.

(Production: Ardee Napolitano)