Strasbourg came into this encounter looking to end a three-game winless run in Ligue 1, and they were by far the more adventurous side in the first half. Inside the opening 10 minutes, the hosts had failed to capitalise on a glorious double-chance, as Joaquín Panichelli’s header was first denied by Dominik Greif before Martial Godo fired over the crossbar from close range on the rebound.
Panichelli was then thwarted once more by Lyon’s goalkeeper, but Le Racing finally broke the deadlock as half-time approached when Godo applied the finishing touch to Diego Moreira’s lovely chipped ball.
Strasbourg were well worth their lead at the break, given they had prevented Lyon from having any kind of impact in the final third.
After the interval, the game developed in very much the same way. Grief, who was his side’s best performer, produced another important stop to deny Moreira, yet there was nothing he could do to stop the winger from finding the bottom corner from distance shortly after.
Not because the strike was that accurate, but rather because it took a wicked deflection off Tanner Tessmann on the way.
Lyon continued to struggle offensively, yet they halved the deficit with their very first shot on target as Corentin Tolisso’s lovely control and volley left Mike Penders with no chance between the Strasbourg sticks.
Lyon tried to exert some sustained pressure after reducing the arrears, but Strasbourg remained on top and, in the final 10 minutes, they had a glorious opportunity to put the game to bed.
Following a VAR review, a penalty was awarded for Clinton Mata’s foul on Samir El Mourabet. From 12 yards, Panichelli made no mistake, burying into the corner to evade Greif’s desperate dive.
All in all, this was a deserved victory for Strasbourg, who keep their hopes of securing European football for next term alive as a result - they have now also lost just one of their past seven home games in all competitions. Lyon, meanwhile, can be proud of their incredible winning streak, although this defeat does deal a hammer blow to any slim hopes they still had of getting their hands on the Ligue 1 title at the end of this campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Diego Moreira (Strasbourg)