On Saturday Lyon defeated Bordeaux Begles in the cruellest of fashions when kicker Leo Berdeu sunk the visitors with the calmest nudge from the touchline.
It was a match that remained tight throughout as both sides fought tooth and nail right up until the dying embers.
Early in the match, directly from a penalty, Baptiste Couilloud scored a wonderful solo effort down the left-hand side after taking advantage of the quick tap.
The Lyon dominance continued shortly afterwards when centre Théo Millet touched down from close range to give the home team a clear lead. At 12-0 up, Lyon were fully in the ascendancy and looking strong in front of a partially packed home stadium.
Those who had arrived for the Top 14 clash were soon to be treated to their first bit of controversy, however, when prop Jermaine Ainsley was sin-binned for a high tackle, followed shortly by Italian winger Monty Ioane, diminishing the team to just 13.
Ensuring their side capitalised on the two-player advantage, Bordeaux returned fire through Marko Gazzotti and Ben Tapuai. The sides went in 15 points apiece at the break.
The second half started fast, with the Bordeaux defence desperately determined to hold out the Lyon attack. Their efforts came to no avail, however, when Beka Saghinadze dotted the ball down from close range just over a minute in.
The half continued with no clear breakaway side, it was simply the two kickers Leo Berdeu and Joey Carbery swapping scores as they looked to give their sides a minor advantage on the scoreline.
In the dying minutes, the match appeared to be decided. A mistake in the air by the home side allowed a wonderful passing move by Bordeaux-Begles to be finished off by Damian Penaud, with the visitors looking to have taken the spoils with just two minutes remaining.
With the visitors ready to head back down south with four points in the bag, Lyon had one final chance to reclaim the result. A penalty given away just beyond the 22-metre line allowed Lyon’s Leo Berdeu to complete the performance with a wonderful three-point penalty from the touchline.
À couper le souffle 😍
.#LaForceduLOU#LaMeute pic.twitter.com/C90UAwKsCk— LOU Rugby (@LeLOURugby) September 14, 2024
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