Manchester: French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon stunned English champions Manchester City 2-1 in their UEFA Champions League Group F encounter at the Etihad stadium here,.
France’s World Cup winner Nabil Fekir scored from a brilliant long distance strike just before half-time to double Lyon’s lead after Maxwel Cornet had opened the scoring, capitalising on Fabian Delph’s failure to clear a cross at the back post Wednesday night.
Those goals came after the visitors had weathered an early storm, during which City hit the post and forced Lyon goalkeeper into a couple of smart saves. Bernardo Silva pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 67th minute, burying Leroy Sane’s pull back, to set up an anxious finish. City pressed for an equaliser but were only able to test Lopes from a distance.
“The key was our togetherness, we were together as a group, and worked hard for one another, and we managed to control the intensity”, Lyon captain Fekir said.
Manchester City assistant coach Mikel Arteta rued his side’s missed opportunities as they became the first English team to lose four consecutive Champions League matches.
“We saw two very different halves. We conceded many counter attacks and at this level you get punished. In the second half we dominated and played in the opponent’s half and created many chances”, Arteta added.
Arteta took charge in the absence of head coach Pep Guardiola, who was watching from the stands as he completed a touchline ban which carried over from last season.
