Olympique Lyonnais made it two wins from two at the start of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season with a comfortable victory against Troyes at the Groupama Stadium.
The visitors handed Lyon a dream start when their veteran captain, Adil Rami, played a sloppy back-pass straight to Alexandre Lacazette in the third minute and Lyon’s captain gleefully accepted the gift, firing coolly past Gallon in the Troyes goal from close range.
Lyon dominated possession and were encamped in the Troyes half for the next ten minutes as the team from the Aube département displayed such as lack of attacking ambition that it seemed as though they had only come to try and keep the score down.
However, Lyon couldn’t turn their early pressure into any more goals and the visitors gradually worked their way into the game. Their efforts were rewarded in the thirty-sixth minute when Baldé broke down the right flank and into the box where he was tripped by a mistimed challenge from Tagliafico. Florian Tardieu stepped up to equalise from the spot.
Lyon had been pretty flat and lacking invention for much of the first period following their early charge, so perhaps they got a rollicking from Peter Bosz at half time. Whatever the catalyst, they came out all guns blazing after the interval and restored their lead within a minute when Tetê found Tagliafico free inside the box and the Argentinian redeemed himself with a neat finish.
Three minutes later, the game looked done and dusted as Gallon could only parry a shot from Paqueta, which looped up into the air and down onto the head of Tetê, who nodded in from point blank range. From that point on, it was mainly one-way traffic, but the final goal didn’t come until fifteen minutes from time when Tetê crowned his performance with a nice solo run and shot to beat Gallon at the near post.
There was a lively cameo from Rayan Cherki, on as a substitute for the last few minutes, and he cannoned a shot against the crossbar in injury time, but couldn’t add to Lyon’s advantage. All in all, despite a brief blip during the first half, it was a very satisfying performance from Lyon and bodes well for the season ahead.