This archive report was first published on 26 November 2021.
Europa League Roundup: AS Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais Secure Wins ¶
On Thursday, November 25, 2021, AS Monaco played host to Real Sociedad at the Louis II stadium in a crucial Europa League match. The Monegasques were already qualified for the round of 16, but they still had to win to secure their spot. Niko Kovac's men lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ben Yedder leading the attack. Imanol Alguacil's Real Sociedad opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with the trio of Januzaj, Isak, and Oyarzabal leading the attack.
Real Sociedad started the match strongly, with Januzaj hitting a free kick that was well saved by Nübel in the 9th minute. The Basques continued to press, and Januzaj saw his shot hit the frame of the goal in the 27th minute. However, it was AS Monaco who opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Golovin exchanged passes with Ben Yedder on the right flank and crossed the ball into the box, where Volland pushed it into the back of the net.
Ben Yedder had a shot repelled by Ryan in the 31st minute, but Real Sociedad equalized four minutes later. Januzaj launched a deep pass to Isak, who deceived Nübel with a small dive and scored the equalizer in the 35th minute. However, AS Monaco regained the lead two minutes later. Diop hit a free kick, and Badiashile headed the ball to Fofana, who catapulted it into Ryan's goal in the 37th minute.
Real Sociedad pushed hard in the second half, but AS Monaco held on to their lead. The Monegasques had a few chances, but they were unable to add to their score. In the end, AS Monaco secured a 2-1 win and validated their ticket for the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Olympique Lyonnais traveled to Bröndby Stadion to face Bröndby in a Europa League match. Peter Bosz's men lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Moussa Dembélé returning to the starting lineup. Niels Frederiksen's Bröndby opted for a 3-5-2 formation, with the duo of Hedlund and Uhre leading the attack.
Bröndby started the match strongly, with Bruus delivering a good cross for Miguel Riveros, whose header passed nearby in the 14th minute. However, it was not until half an hour into the game that Lyon's first attempt of the match was seen. Slimani saw his shot blocked by Maxsø in the 30th minute. The Danes were emboldened, and Greve attempted a shot that was blocked for a corner in the 36th minute.
On returning from the locker room, Bosz's men were surprised. Hedlund delivered a hard cross for Uhre, who saw his shot blocked by Lopes. However, the leather came back on the person who pushed the ball into the net in the 51st minute. OL recovered quickly, and equalized six minutes later. Cherki recovered the leather in the area and armed a strike from the left that deceived Mikkelsen in the 57th minute.
The Lyon nugget struck again a few minutes later. Well launched by Gusto, the Rhone attacking midfielder played with two defenders before adjusting Mikkelsen with a strike to the right of the goal in the 66th minute. In the last quarter of an hour, the proteges of Bosz took cover for good. Paqueta delivered an excellent cross for Slimani, who beat Mikkelsen with a header in the 76th minute. With this fifth success, Olympique Lyonnais continued their flawless performance in the Europa League.
The results of the 9 p.m. matches were as follows:
- Bröndby 1-3 Olympique Lyonnais: Uhre (51st) for Bröndby; Cherki (57th, 66th), Slimani (76th) for OL
- Glasgow Rangers 2-0 Sparta Prague: Morelos (15th, 49th) for Rangers
- AS Monaco 2-1 Real Sociedad: Volland (28th), Fofana (37th) for Monaco; Isak (35th) for Real Sociedad
- PSV Eindhoven 2-0 Sturm Graz: Vinicius (45th, sp), Bruma (56th) for PSV
- Leicester 3-1 Legia Warsaw: Daka (11th), Maddison (21st), Ndidi (33rd) for Leicester; Mladenovic (26th) for Legia
- Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Royal Antwerp: Kamada (12th), Paciencia (90 + 4) for Frankfurt; Nainggolan (33rd), Samatta (88th) for Antwerp
- Olympiacos 1-0 Fenerbahçe: Soares (90 + 1) for Olympiakos
