All you need to know in 60 seconds …
Both goalkeepers were busy on a frenetic, but ultimately goalless, night at the OL Stadium.
The formative stages were frantic with Barça’s Ousmane Dembélé sweeping wide and OL’s Houssem Aouar testing Marc-André ter Stegen, who then had to tip Martin Terrier’s drive on to the bar. Anthony Lopes darted from his line to thwart Dembélé as the high tempo persisted before Terrier went close from a scintillating Lyon move just before the interval.
Lionel Messi was a threat throughout and called Lopes into action again after half-time before Luis Suárez fired wide as the visitors created more openings. The Lyon goalkeeper stood tall again in the closing exchanges, denying substitute Philippe Coutinho as Ernesto Valverde’s side pressed for the winner.
View from the stadium: David Crossan
Lyon can be delighted with their first clean sheet of this season’s competition. Lopes had his customary excellent game and Jason Denayer was a rock at the back while, especially in the first period, Bruno Génésio’s team did enough to suggest they might be able to get a goal in Barcelona.
It will not be easy, of course it won’t, but this was a night when Lyon’s young side came of age, putting in a hugely credible performance.
Man of the match: Jason Denayer
He’s at his fifth club aged only 23 but Denayer, despite that vast array of experience at such a youthful stage, won’t have had many games like this.
Barcelona may argue that Ter Stegen had a superior case, given his superb saves, but then Lopes almost matched the German big moment for big moment.
However, Denayer showed calm, positional sense, intensity of concentration and, ultimately, steered OL to a memorable defiance of an increasingly confident Barça.
Key stats
- This is only the second time in round of 16 history there have been two goalless draws on the same night.
- Lyon have lost just once at home in the round of 16 (W5 D4).
- Barcelona are without a win in their last six knockout away games (D2 L4).
- Lyon have failed to score in the first half nine times in their last 12 UEFA Champions League matches, including the last three.
What does it mean?
Lyon will be pleased to have shut out the opposition for the first time in the competition this term, yet they will have to defy the weight of history if they are to progress, having not won an away game at this stage since 2005/06.
What’s next?
Four points off second spot in France, Lyon have a busy schedule prior to visiting Barcelona in mid-March (13/03). First up for Les Gones is a trip to Monaco on Sunday, before a home French Cup quarter-final against Caen (27/02). Génésio’s men then host Toulouse (03/03) and go to Strasbourg (09/03).
Liga leaders Barcelona are entering a pivotal period in their three-pronged trophy tilt: a testing trip to Sevilla beckons on Saturday, followed by back-to-back Clásicos at the Bernabéu in the Copa del Rey (27/02) and the Liga (02/03). The visit of Rayo Vallecano (09/03) precedes the second leg against Lyon (13/03).
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