OL-Besiktas: “It’s Shocking Not to Win this Match,” Disheartened Niakhaté Notes

Dominating doesn’t always equate to winning. An age-old football adage that doesn’t bring much solace to its speaker as it has been overused. However, Thursday night at Groupama Stadium, it was hard to think of a different summary. Thirty shots, hitting the crossbar, a goal disallowed (rightfully) by VAR, a penalty turned into a free-kick using video technology, and numerous scoring opportunities… All this was not enough for Lyon to materialize a quality performance into a win against Besiktas (0-1).

It was a tough result to swallow for Moussa Niakhaté: “Speaking in the heat of the moment is never easy as we haven’t reviewed the match yet, but I think the assessment I’m making is accurate. It’s simply remarkable that we couldn’t secure the victory tonight,” laments the former Nottingham Forest player. “I don’t know how many chances, how many shots on target, how many opportunities… and we can’t come out on top.”

Niakhaté: “We were superior to our opponent”

“I believe we don’t have the words yet, but this is the harsh reality of football – efficiency in both boxes, as we talk about missed opportunities but also efficiency in our box,” acknowledges the center-back. “When we concede so few chances, we shouldn’t be conceding a goal. The word ‘frustrating’ is an understatement. The performance tonight reflects our recent outings. We were superior to our opponent tonight.”

Realistic in his assessment and choice of words, the former Valenciennes player leans towards considering this as an aberration: “It’s not a setback. People often focus on the result, but we should also talk about performance streaks. The streak of performances continues. But we are Olympique Lyonnais. We cannot be content with playing well and not winning. It’s shocking to lose this match.”

Pushed down to the 10th spot in the Europa League, Lyon will aim to get back on track in Europe against Hoffenheim on November 7th (21:00) in the upcoming fourth matchday of the competition.