Olympique Lyon versus Real Madrid – UEFA Champions League: Player Ratings (Part 2)
In the first part of this featured series, player ratings for Lyon’s back four and their goalkeeper were discussed in detail. Now it is turn for Lyon’s midfielders and strikers to be discussed in detail as per their performances against Real Madrid on 22nd
February, 2011.
Jeremy Toulalan
Lyon’s defensive midfielder on the night kept track of Mesut Ozil throughout the first half. As a result, the German playmaker was unable to influence the match in any shape or form. The Frenchman did extremely well to team up with Cissokho on Angel Di Maria
as well and he occasionally helped Réveillère out in his man-marking duties on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Cristiano-Ronaldo-c9629 as well. It was Toulalan’s defensive awareness that allowed Olympique Lyon to successfully shackle Real Madrid’s potent attack on the night. When both the teams
meet again on 16th of March at Santiago Bernabéu, Toulalan will have to be at his best once again.
Rating: 8
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Michel-Bastos-c25461
The Brazilian winger started at the right wing position but he had a real impact on the game when he was shifted to the other side of the field as a left winger by Lyon’s manager Claude Puel. On the left wing, Bastos terrorized Sergio Ramos throughout the
course of the match. The Spanish full back found it hard to deal with the Brazilian’s pace. Additionally, Bastos took advantage of Cissokho’s overlapping runs as well as the forward surges that opened up space for the Brazilian national to cut inside on his
right foot in order to test http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Iker-Casillas-c16815. However, Bastos was weak in possession on the night. He did get into good positions but failed to play the final penetrative pass to by-pass the Real Madrid defensive line.
Rating 7.5
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kim-c20955 Kallstrom
Perhaps Lyon’s most disappointing player on the night, the Swedish midfielder lacked imagination and creativity in the final third of the field. Not only that, he was woeful with his passing accuracy on the night and also failed to hit the target with any
of his attempted shots. Interestingly enough, in the first half of the match, when Lyon was dominating the play, Kallstrom had a minimal effect on the match. However, in the second half, the-ex Rennes playmaker rose to the occasion but eventually disappointed
with his inaccurate passing. Rating: 6.5
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Yoann-Gourcuff-c37416
The conductor of Lyon’s orchestra was superb throughout the match for the French giants. The former Bordeaux offensive midfielder ran the midfield show despite close attention from the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Xabi-Alonso-c37045. In the first half, Gourcuff pushed
forward to support Gomis in attack for Lyon and in the second half, he had the defensive awareness to sit back and help his teammates out with a rejuvenated Real Madrid side. His set piece delivery on the night was accurate as well but the Frenchman faded
away from the match as an attacking threat in the latter stages of the second half when Lyon needed him the most.
Rating: 8
Cesar Delgado
Delgado showed a lot of energy and willingness on the night but sadly enough for Lyon’s fans, such endurance was not backed up by quality in the final third of the field in front of Real Madrid’s goal. Lyon’s midfielder was charged with getting into the
Real Madrid box to provide support to Gomis when the French giants were in possession of the ball. Although Delgado performed this task admirably, he lacked the pace and the quick feet which were needed on the night to get past the likes of Carvalho and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pepe-c29670.
Nonetheless, the Argentinean midfielder was a threat to be reckoned with in the first half as he ran at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sergio-Ramos-c33096 and got the Spanish full back booked in the 9th minute of the match.
Rating: 7
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bafétimbi-Gomis-c7180
Gomis started the match as Lyon’s sole striker on the night and although he looked like an annoyed character for most part of the match, his awareness and calmness allowed Lyon to get back into the match thanks to the French man’s calm finish following Cris’s
downward header. In the first half, Gomis had a brilliant chance to give his team an early advantage due to Iker Casillas’s mistake but the former Saint Etienne player failed to hit the target with his shot. As the match dwindled down to the final 25 minutes
of the second half, Gomis popped up at the right place at the right time to get the equalizer for Lyon.
Rating: 7.5
In the next edition of this series, we shall discuss Real Madrid’s player ratings for their performance against Lyon at Stade de Gerland in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 tie.
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