On behalf of the fourth day, the Montpellier Hérault Sport Club received the leader at the beginning of the season, Olympique Lyonnais and who would remain so at the end of this meeting. A heavy score of five goals to nothing and who already digs well and away the gap in this championship.


On both sides, we opt for totally different strategies. Lyon evolves in a 4-3-3 system, with an offensive trio composed by van de Sanden on the right, Hegerberg in the center and Le Sommer on the left. Marozsan / Abily form the midfielder duo and Kumagai a little below to collect the balloons in front of Renard and Buchanan. While Amel Majri and Lucy Bronze were playing on their respective lanes to bring the oversize into attack and close the sides.


On the other side, Montpellier had chosen a 4-4-2, which seemed rather to be a 4-5-1 on the field, with Blackstenius alone in the lead. In defense, we found the duo Agard / Sembrant and sometimes Torrent and Karchaoui to form a defensive trio, when it was no longer to climb on the flanks. Cayman and Veje were positioned higher up the corridors to try to take Lyon by surprise, to no avail. Toletti, Torecilla and Dekker were in the midfield but will struggle to make a difference.


Montpellier private balloon


The first actions are for Lyon, which relentlessly presses Montpellier to crack the lock. It begins in the 7th minute with this attempt by Lucy Bronze, on a deviation to the second post of Hegerberg to resume Camille Abily's corner. But the door of Montpellier, Meline Gerard recovers the ball on the ground annihilating this first attempt.


The Montpellier suffer the game of Lyon and struggle to move forward, they have trouble getting out of this situation from dominant to dominated. Unlike Lyon, which has been well oiled his game to face the MHSC today. Like this breakthrough of the Dutch and new rookie Lyon, Shanice van de Sanden (12th), who takes his right lane, but on his center nobody is on the ball and Torrent is responsible for pushing his head . Just like this strike Maroszan (16th) who will come to be deflected by the defense of the MHSC.


Montpellier definitely wants to go forward but gets shot in the shoes with this strategy, when Lyon circulates the ball and runs the game to avoid being too predictable.

It still lacks intelligence game on the side of Montpellier, while it was thought that it had been acquired last season. The absence of Sofia Jakobsson is undoubtedly an element that explains this situation, but also the adaptation of Katrine Veje on its corridor against big teams like Lyon.


By dint of putting the pressing and the danger on the Montpellier camp, the Olympique Lyonnais finally finds the flaw. It was only a matter of minutes. On a good job of van de Sanden, the Norwegian Ada Hegerberg (23rd) takes advantage of a space to deceive Meline Gerard 0-1.


Lyon wants to follow quickly to better assert his victory. It is Hegerberg (25th) who tries a new incursion right flank, it is taken by Sembrant. She manages to get rid of it and put it back in the box, but Toletti is there to clear. A 1-0 Montpellier can still believe it. This is the brand new "Blue" and who has made his first two tenurings in France A team, under the era of Corinne Deacon, Marion Torrent (30th) who sends a long center at the penalty box, but it ends in Bouhaddi's gloves over Blackstenius.


Lyon knows then that history is serious and that the danger can still come from Montpellier. The Sommer (39th) will want to put the pressure on the opponent, with this powerful shot, but it ends on the post of Meline Gerard, who must still shake. There follows one last dangerous opportunity for Montpellier. Denmark's Katrine Veje (40) is in favor of Blackstenius, but the player is not perpendicular to the goal of Lyon and her crossed head will end far from the frame of Bouhaddi.


At the return of the locker room, we feel that Montpellier who has long cashed, wants to get out of this grip and take control of the game. To do, the Montpellier will be a little more in attack. We find Janice Cayman to maneuver in the 50th minute of play, which will manage to get into the surface and try a shot that will be deflected by the hand by a Lyonnaise, but without being reported. The opportunity to return to the score was too good for Montpellier.

Lyon has not given respite


Unfortunately for the club Herault, the second goal of Lyon will intervene just after that. Sakina Karchaoui (51) wants to clear the center of Le Sommer left flank, but sends the ball deep into the net, against his side 0-2. The draw misses for Montpellier.


But the Montpellier do not lower the regime and want to shake the net of Lyon. As on this hit Toletti (53) too crushed to worry Bouhaddi. Before seeing Le Sommer on this attempt to the 57th, but Meline Gerard is on parade. The goalkeeper of Montpellier will have less luck two minutes just after that. Eugenie Le Sommer (59th) enters full axis, bypasses the defense of the MHSC and torpedo Méline Gérard at the entrance to the 0-3 surface.


At the hour of play, the match is folded and Kheira Hamraoui (66) will sink the MHSC with the fourth goal of the game, just after entering the field 0-4. Lyon will not stop and Montpellier sink. As on this shot of Hegerberg (67) alone against Meline Gerard, it is deflected by the goalkeeper and it hits the crossbar to go out for a corner.


Montpellier will have no opportunity to save the honor, despite all the will of Virginia Toreccila probably the best player in place and snarling Montpellier side in the field. Lyon will insist until the last minute, proof that the team is never satiated and combative players until the last minute.


Like the center of Thomis in the 88th but it is repulsed by Torrent, very involved in his area, without ever let go. But the blow of club will arrive with the fifth goal of the meeting, signed of the German, Dzenifer Maroszan (90th) launched full axis, without any marking and which closes the festival of Lyon 0-5.



Difficult to have a tangible explanation for this debacle, but the Lyon experience is already an important factor, without mentioning new recruits such as Lucy Bronze or Shanice van de Sanden. The MHSC wanted to play on the versatility but difficult to find the automatisms with this tactic, which put a hard test on the players more than their opponents. Lyon will now have to confirm against Patrice Lair's PSG to establish its supremacy at the start of the season, even if the defeat of last season in the first leg had no impact on OL to snatch its hat-trick.


Photo: Knibal Story

XI MHSC: Gerard - Torrent, Agard, Sembrant (C), Karchaoui (But CSC 51 ') (Romanelli 69') - Dekker, Toletti (Uffren 69 ') - Veje, Torrecilla, Cayman - Blackstenius (Gauvin 79').

 
XI OL: Bouhaddi - Bronze, Fox (C), Buchanan, Majri - Abily (Hamraoui 61 ', Goal 66'), Kumagai (M'Bock 77 ') - van of Sanden (Thomis 71'), Marozsan (Goal 90 ' ), The Sommer (Goal 59 ') - Hegerberg (Goal 21').