Moussa Dembélé and Karl Toko-Ekambi both scored twice as Olympique Lyonnais bounced back from their midweek Europa League exit to hammer Girondins de Bordeaux 6-1 on Sunday.
Olympique Lyonnais 6-1 Girondins de Bordeaux
THE MATCH
Lyon desperately needed a victory to keep their slim hopes of European qualification alive and avoid a completely anti-climactic end to their campaign after West Ham United dumped them out of the Europa League in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Fortunately a Bordeaux side mired in relegation trouble turned out to be accommodating guests at the Groupama Stadium.
Dembélé opened the scoring in the 20th minute as he met a Malo Gusto cross from the right with a glancing header into the far corner. Lyon then doubled their lead shortly after as goalkeeper Gaëtan Poussin horribly miskicked a back-pass to gift a goal to Toko-Ekambi. It was 3-0 at the break as Lucas Paquetá slotted in after the Bordeaux defence again failed to clear their lines.
Any hopes Bordeaux might have had of a second-half comeback were quickly quashed as Romain Faivre made it four within a minute of the restart, controlling and volleying in from Dembélé’s flighted cross for a wonderful goal.
Henrique hit the woodwork for the hosts before Jeff Reine-Adélaïde released Toko-Ekambi to run through and chip the goalkeeper, making it 5-0 midway through the second half, but that was not the end of the scoring.
Bordeaux pulled one back as Sékou Mara converted a penalty five minutes from time after he had been fouled by Damien Da Silva in the area. Then Lyon got their sixth of the day in stoppage time as Bradley Barcola set up Dembélé for his second of the day.
The win leaves Lyon in eighth place, four points adrift of the European berths, while Bordeaux are 19th, three points adrift of Clermont Foot 63 in the relegation play-off spot and four points away from outright safety.
THE PLAYER: Moussa Dembélé
The former Celtic striker played a captain’s role, the skipper leading from the front as he scored twice to take his tally of league goals to 14 for the campaign. He also set up Romain Faivre for the standout goal of the evening as Lyon gave themselves a much-needed boost in the wake of their European exit. They still have something to play for this season.
THE STAT: 77
As in the number of goals conceded by Bordeaux this season. That is an average of 2.4 per game and is at least 15 more than any other team.
Elsewhere on Sunday RC Strasbourg Alsace crept back above AS Monaco into fifth place - the Europa Conference League berth - as they drew 1-1 away at ESTAC Troyes. Habib Diallo put the visitors ahead from a penalty early in the second half at the Stade de l’Aube only for Florian Tardieu to convert a late spot-kick at the other end and salvage a point for Troyes.
FC Nantes saw their hopes of European qualification via the league take another blow as they drew 1-1 at home to near neighbours Angers SCO. Having made the short trip down the Loire River, Angers took the lead at the Stade de la Beaujoire through Sofiane Boufal’s first-half strike, but Kalifa Coulibaly headed in the equaliser after the break.
Montpellier Hérault SC drew 0-0 at home to Stade de Reims in a mid-table encounter, while bottom club FC Metz missed the chance to close the gap on Clermont as the sides drew 1-1 at the Stade Saint-Symphorien. Nicolas De Préville gave Metz the lead midway through the first half but Jodel Dossou equalised before the break. Ibrahima Niane was then sent off for Metz.
