In the opening game of Round 23 of Ligue 1, Lyon traveled to play relegation-threatened Metz in an attempt to make it five wins in a row and climb higher up the league.
Mikautadze’s brilliant play allowed Metz to score the first goal of the match. The Georgian international took advantage of a misdirected pass to push the ball past O’Brien, who was caught off guard, and into the net’s roof. Lyon dominated the first few minutes of play, therefore this goal in the thirteenth fell against the flow of the game.
After the Metz opener, Lyon appeared anxious. When holding the ball, Pierre Sage’s team appeared uneasy and lacked composure. Even though they wasted a lot of chances in the first half, Lacazette’s final kick of the half tied the score. The Lyon captain was faced with a shot from Clinton Mata, which he expertly controlled and finished past Oukidja with style. At the interval, it was impossible to separate the sides.
The second half began considerably more positively, and Lyon took the lead when Saïd Benrahma came on as a substitute and made the expected impact. Benrahma made no mistake as he beat the Metz stopper via the post after Caqueret’s deft square pass found the Algerian.
Surprisingly by his impressive standards this season, the Irishman had a tough night. Mikautadze left him for dust as he scored the first goal of the game, and his overall direction and choice of pass were poor in the early stages and throughout the match he could be seen drifting out of position.
Seven is Maxence Caqueret. In the midst of the park, the France U21 international was imposing once more. Everywhere you looked on the pitch, Caqueret was leading the press from midfield and winning the ball back in key spots. His assist on Benrahma’s goal again demonstrated excellent vision.
The captain of Lyon, Alexandre Lacazette (7), once again demonstrated his exceptional efficiency in front of goal. Before halftime, just before the break, Lacazette scored the goal, despite playing very little in the first half. He was far more active and an excellent attacker’s facilitator in the second half.
Orban Gift – 5 Being positioned out of position on the left wing was difficult for the Nigerian. He played in the middle with the usual positive movement, but he also raced into the channels all the time. But he was unable to convert when he received the ball on the left, and at halftime Benrahma took his place.
Replacements: Sad Benrahma – 7. an immediate effect. Following a challenging initial
