Around OL – Honoring the Legacy of Gérard Houllier
Honoring the Legacy of Gérard Houllier
(photo credit: Damien LG)
The OL family was saddened to learn of the passing of OL Féminin and OL Reign Technical Director Gérard Houllier on Monday morning. Houllier, who helped Lyon’s men’s side claim consecutive league titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07 was a friend to the club and a man who dedicated his life’s work to the sport of soccer.
“He was loved by everyone,” said OL Groupe president Jean-Michel Aulas. “Gérard gave everything for Olympique Lyonnais. No matter the mission, he undertook them all with efficiency, and a great deal of intelligence. He was always available, whether it was to do an audit in China on a club we wanted to make an agreement with, to upgrade the Academy, to go abroad with the women's team, to be present before certain finals… he was always available. Having worked with him for a long time, constantly, created a friendship. I have few friends that close... He was one of the people you could count on when it came to football and everything else.”
To honor Houllier, both OL and OL Féminin will wear shirts bearing his image and black armbands with their jerseys in their upcoming matches. On the jerseys, the phrase “Merci Gérard” will be printed near Lyon’s crest. The women’s team’s match against Juventus on Tuesday and the men’s upcoming game against Stade Brestois will feature a minute of silence prior to kickoff.
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin Defeats Juve 6-2 on Aggregate
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin used the momentum from a late comeback in Turin to dominate the home leg against Juventus in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Tuesday. The club used a 3-0 victory to round out a convincing 6-2 aggregate victory and advance to the Round of 16.
Dzenifer Marozsán scored in the 21st minute, giving OL a 4-2 lead on aggregate that was made even larger due to the club’s three away goals in the first leg. Juve chased the game, but could not manage to score at Groupama Stadium.
Lyon scored twice in the final minutes for good measure, with Melvine Malard finishing off a through ball from Marozsán in the 88th minute and Janice Cayman scoring in the first minute of stoppage time for a comfortable victory.
Les Fenottes will learn their opponent for the Round of 16 on February 16, with the competition scheduled to resume in early March.
Jean-Michel Aulas Honored in WICC Best Xi
OL Groupe president Jean-Michel Aulas, one of the three from the OL family named to the Women’s International Champions Cup Best XI on December 2, was interviewed by the organization in recognition of the award.
Watch the interview here:
Time for some WICC Best XI rapid fire questions with @OL_English's @JM_Aulas! Presented by @Ally. 💥 https://t.co/oleHPSvYpQ
— Women's ICC (@iccwomen) December 15, 2020
Read more about Aulas’ contributions and vision for women’s soccer here.
Lyon Defeats PSG, Climbs to Second in Ligue 1
Olympique Lyonnais (8-1-5, 29 points, 2nd) leapfrogged Paris Saint-Germain (9-4-1, 28 points, 3rd) on the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table, defeating the reigning champions 1-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Lyon scored in the 35th minute, when Karl Toko Ekambi intercepted an errant ball and played it straight to Tino Kadewere as the Zimabwean sprinted forward. Kadewere slotted the ball past PSG’s Keylor Navas for his fifth goal of the season.
From there, OL’s defense harangued the hosts, who were limited to one shot on target during the course of 90 minutes.
Lyon were reduced to 10 men shortly before the final whistle, when Thiago Mendes was sent off for a scissor tackle that caught the back leg of Neymar Jr.
Four from Lyon were named to L’équipe’s team of the round, including Kadewere, manager Rudi Garcia, defender Jason Denayer and midfielder Lucas Paquetá.
The win was OL’s first against PSG at the Parc des Princes since 2007. The club has now won five straight matches and is unbeaten in its last 11 contests.
OL Féminin Pummel Issy 9-0
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (10-1-0, 30 points, 2nd) scored early and often against Issy (2-9-0, 6 points, 11th), battering the visitors en route to a 9-0 win on Saturday, December 12.
Amel Majri opened the floodgates nine minutes in, heading in a cross from Selma Bacha at the back post to make it 1-0.
From there, Nikita Parris went on a tear, completing a hat trick in just seven minutes by scoring in the 15th, 18th and 21st minutes to make it 4-0. Parris finished with four goals, adding one more in the 41st for good measure.
Majri also finished the match with a hat trick, scoring right after Parris’ final tally in the 42nd minute and again in the 52nd. Janice Cayman and Delphine Cascarino added the other two goals in a comfortable three points at home for OL.
With the victory, the French league now enters the winter break and will resume play in mid-January.
Upcoming Matches Around OL
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Stade Brestois 29 – Groupama Stadium, Décines-Charpieu, France – Wednesday, December 16, 12:00 p.m. PT