Match - Bordeaux on a roll [1-0]

Lyon made the journey to Stade Chaban-Delmas for their 24th match of the Ligue 1 season. For this crucial clash Francis Gillot stuck with his preferred 5-3-2 of: Carrasso – Mariano, Sané, Planus, Ciani, Trémoulinas – Plasil (cap), Nguemo, Obraniak – Maurice-Belay, Gouffran. For the visitors, manager Rémy Garde fielded a 4-3-3 of: Lloris – Réveillère (cap), Koné, Umtiti, Dabo – Fofana, Gonalons, Kallström – Lacazette, Gomis, Bastos.  The teams took the pitch with the afternoon sun shining bright, and 27,704 fans packing the stands.

A difficult start

Bordeaux kicked off, and for the first few minutes both teams looked cagey, weighing each other up. Bordeaux had the best of the possession, but the first real attack came from the visitors. Slipping past two defenders, Bastos pulled the ball back for Gomis. His low-flying shot was stopped by Carrasso (9th minute). Bordeaux soon fought back, and in the 14th minute Michael Ciani won a free kick 25 metres from Lloris' goal. Obraniak stepped up, but his shot was blocked by the wall. Bordeaux's best movements came down the left flank, with Trémoulinas firing off a series of crosses.

Gouffran scores

In midfield the battle was intense, and Ludovic Obraniak was giving his all for the team. Both teams were looking to break down the wings, and in the 25th minute Bordeaux did just that. Maurice-Belay beat two defenders and steamed down the left flank, laying off the ball for Obraniak in the centre. Obraniak tried to shoot on sight, but his effort was wide of the mark. Two minutes later, this time from the right hand side, Obraniak struck another free kick. Ciani latched onto the delivery with a powerful header, but failed to hit the target. Michael Ciani was on fine form this afternoon, active in attack and unbeatable in defence. Both teams were well-organised at the back, and the attacking players were struggling for real goalscoring opportunities. But in the 40th minute Maurice-Belay launched a probing solo run down the right, firing in a low-flying cross which was deflected for a corner. Obraniak floated in a cross to the front post, which took a deflection before falling perfectly for Gouffran, who wasted no time in burying the ball in the back of the net. Bordeaux were 1-0 up! The Girondins held onto possession for the next few minutes, heading back to the changing rooms with a precious one goal lead.

Lyon short of solutions

The Girondins enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the second half, piling the pressure on the Lyon defence without creating many real chances. Faced with his team's faltering performance Rémy Garde made a double substitution: Briand and Lisandro replaced Lacazette and Källström (55'), with the formation switching to a traditional 4-4-2. To no avail. Almost immediately Trémoulinas burst free down the left wing and played in a cross for Obraniak, whose shot flew just over the bar. Once again, Ludovic Obraniak was on blistering form this afternoon.

Bordeaux have the best chances

It took Lyon more than a quarter of an hour to create a meaningful chance in the second half, with Gomis and Lisandro both denied by Bordeaux's solid defence (62'). Lyon pushed and pushed, but Carrasso was unbeatable (70'). Bordeaux soon won another free kick on the edge of the Lyon box, in almost exactly the same spot from which Obraniak sealed victory over Toulouse two weeks previously. This time it was Jaroslav Plasil who stepped up to shoot, and it took a spectacular diving save from Lloris to stop his superb, dipping effort. Plasil was not finished yet, finding the head of Ciani with his subsequent corner. Ciani's header was wide, but Bordeaux had almost doubled their advantage twice in as many minutes. Goalscorer Yoan Gouffran was substituted for Jussiê in the 80th minute, and the Girondins continued to cut Lyon open with their breathless counter-attacking movements. The visitors' frustration was palpable, reflected in a string of fouls. In the 89th minute, Francis Gillot made a second change and Maurice-Belay left the pitch to a standing ovation. Sertic took his place for the last few minutes.

With only seconds to play Lyon won a free kick on the edge of the box. Ederson failed to lift his shot over the wall, and the referee finally whistled for full time. Bordeaux notched up a crucial 1-0 victory to continue their recent run of good form…