Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz came off the bench to bag a decisive double that beat ten-man Sparta Prague 2-1, assuring LOSC of qualification for the Europa League knockout rounds - potentially in top spot, depending on their Matchday 6 result against Celtic.
Christophe Galtier's squad is a deep one, and this was once again proven definitively as Yilmaz took charge of the match when he came on for compatriot Yusuf Yazici (77'). A goal behind, following Ladislav Krejci's unheralded header (71'), but a man up due to Sparta captain Ondrej Celustka's earning a second yellow (64'), LOSC had a golden opportunity and Yilmaz was clearly the man for the job.
Just three minutes later, he was on the spot to cap a superb team move and tap home Timothy Weah's low cross (80') before lashing home from the edge of the area to complete the comeback (84').
Galtier: 'Quite a feat'
"We've qualified. The players went after this qualification and the credit goes to them, especially given how evenly matched our group is. We've managed to qualify in the fifth match, which is quite a feat," said Galtier, who had to make do without first-team regulars Renato Sanches and Zeki Celik. "I think we dominated the match, we had a lot of favourable situations, the team was very dynamic, the first half was incredibly fast. We conceded against the run of play and going behind can give you a headache sometimes. But the players reacted quickly."
LOSC now turn their attentions to league duties and Sunday's visit of in-form Monaco before preparing for next Thursday's trip to Glasgow, where a win will guarantee them of ending the group stage in top spot.
