MAN CITY 1, OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS 2
A frustrated Pep Guardiola was forced to watch from the stands as Manchester City suffered a shock defeat in the opening game of their Champions League campaign.
Guardiola, banned from the touchline, must have watched in disbelief as his under-performing City side lost to French side Olympique Lyonnais.
It was City’s first loss of the season and they could have no complaints as Lyon, who finished third in the French league, were worthy winners.
What had been forecast as a routine victory for City, some bookmakers’ favourites to lift the Champions League, proved anything but that.
City were unusually lethargic against and made little inroads against a well organised defence with Lyon lethal on the counter attack.
They built a 2-0 lead in the opening period through goals from Maxwel Cornet and Nabil Fekir and, though Bernardo Silva halved the deficit midway through the second period, City rarely threatened a great escape.
Indeed, had Memphis Depay made it 3-0 on the hour when he was denied by the woodwork, the game would have been well and truly over for City who have now lost their last four Champions League games.
City coach Mikel Arteta, standing in for Guardiola, admitted his side was not at their best.
He said: “I want to look at it is a positive way and when you are not at the races, you get punished it doesn’t matter which team you are.
“I am sure we will respond as we did after we were 2-0 behind and the reaction was superb and I cannot criticise the effort and commitment of the players.”
Arteta, who admitted City made a slow start, was asked whether the result would have been different had Guardiola been on the touchline.
“The reality was that Pep was not here and we lost. I can’t say if Pep was here we would have won 5-0 or lost,” he added.
Arteta said the way they City exited the Champions League last season “really hurt”, but they will be back.
City made three changes from the side that started Saturday’s league game against Fulham.
Sergio Aguero, who picked up a knock at weekend, was on the bench alongside Leroy Sane and Nicolas Otamendi. Called up were Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones.
Olympique Lyonnais stun Manchester City in the Champions League
The Lyon side included former City player Jason Denayer and ex-United striker Depay and Reds’ defender Rafael while recent signing from Celtic Moussa Dembele was a substitute.
After a low-key opening, City began to impose themselves on the game with Raheem Sterling having their first two chances that came to nothing.
The closest to a breakthrough came in the 16th minute when Aymeric Laporte’s far-post header struck the upright after keeper Anthony Lopes palmed Gundogan’s corner into his path.
Lyon had the ball in the net when Cornet raced onto a Tanguy Ndombele through ball, but he had strayed offside.
That ought to have served as a warning, but didn’t as Lyon took a 26th minute lead with another counter attack.
Fekir, a target for Liverpool, raced away on the left and Fabian Delph failed to cut out his far-post cross enabling Cornet to fire a low shot back across the face of goal to stun City.
Gundogan thought he had equalised, but Sterling was offside as he raced away on the left before cutting the ball back to the German international.
City, decidedly out of sorts, claimed a penalty when Jesus spectacularly went down, but Italian referee Daniele Orsato waved play on.
Manchester City unable to react to Lyon counter attacks
And the night got a whole lot worse for City when Lyon doubled their lead in the 43rd minute.
Fernandinho lost the ball in midfield and Fekir was put through before firing low past Ederson.
A drive from Fernandinho fizzed just wide and Jesus forced a save from Lopes as City kicked off the second half positively.
But with no sign of a breakthrough, City sent on Sane for Gundogan 10 minutes after the restart to try and inject new attacking ideas.
City were lucky not to concede a third goal on the hour when Depay was put through by Ndombele, but his shot struck beat Ederson but hit the inside of the upright and somehow bounced to safety.
That brought about a second substitution as Aguero was summoned to replace Jesus in the 63rd minute.
City halved the deficit four minutes later when Sane cut the ball back after a weaving run on the left and Bernardo Silva swept the ball home from just inside the box.
The third City change with 14 minutes left was Riyad Mahrez for Sterling as they went all out attack in pursuit of an equaliser.
In the latter stages City huffed and puffed, though they had two chances in stoppage time to draw level.
Aguero was denied by a super stop from Lopes while Sane blazed over, a miss that epitomised their night.