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Lyon stun Man City to reach Champions League semis

August 15, 2020

Olympique Lyonnais has stunned Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 3-1 in the Champions League to set up a semifinal against Bayern Munich. The German club had thrashed FC Barcelona in the quarterfinal on Friday.

https://p.dw.com/p/3h1mz
Manchester City's Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (C) reacts to Lyon's third goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Lyon at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on August 15, 2020
Image: AFP/M. A. Lopes

Lyon substitute Moussa Dembele struck twice late in the game in Lisbon to deny Manchester City a chance to proceed to the Champions League's semifinal.

Lyon had taken the lead in the 24th minute with a fine finish from Maxwel Cornet, but City's midfielder Kevin De Bruyne canceled out that initial lead in the 69th minute.

In the later stages of the game, however, Dembele broke free and scored two goals to secure an emphatic victory for the French club.

City had a golden chance to equalize moments after Dembele's first goal, but Raheem Sterling somehow blasted over from close range with the goal at his mercy.

"Different year, same stuff," said De Bruyne, who scored City's equalizer in vain."We need to learn, it's not good enough."

Read more: Bayern Munich show 'intensity, quality, mentality' in record win over Barcelona

Franco-German semifinals

It's the first time that two French teams will compete in the semifinals of the competition, with Paris St Germain facing RB Leipzig in the other Franco-German game in the last four.

Bayern Munich will play the semifinal against Lyon in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Former Barcelona and Bayern coach Pep Guardiola had been brought to City's Etihad Stadium to deliver the Champions League, but he has so far failed to do so.

"Maybe one day we break this spell. We will try again in the future," Guardiola said. "Maybe one day we will improve and break this situation."

shs/ipj (Reuters, AFP, AP)