Lyon beats Leipzig in Champions League to end winless streak
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Lyon ended its seven-game winless streak with a 2-0 victory at Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Memphis Depay and Martin Terrier scored in either half for Lyon’s first win since a 6-0 rout of Angers in the second round of the French league on Aug. 16.
Defensive blunders were to blame for both goals as Leipzig slipped to its second home defeat in five days. Schalke had ended Julian Nagelsmann’s side’s unbeaten start to the season on Saturday with a 3-1 win in the Bundesliga.
Timo Werner missed an easy chance for Leipzig side early on, before Depay struck for Lyon in the 11th minute after some good work from Aouar Houssem. Houssem won the ball from Ibrahima Konaté, Dayot Upamecano failed to stop him, and Depay told Houssem to leave the ball before shooting it past Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Werner missed another good chance in the 23rd, shooting over an open net from close range after Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes had gone to ground. Depay had another goal ruled out for offside before the break and there were some whistles from the home fans as Leipzig’s players trudged off at half time.
Nagelsmann brought on Emil Forsberg for some fresh attacking impetus with more than half an hour remaining, and Marcel Sabitzer tried his luck from range in the 62nd. But Terrier grabbed Lyon’s second goal in the 65th, taking advantage of more sloppy defending from Upamecano and then a mistake from Nordi Mukiele to score.
Nagelsmann took Upamecano off straight away, leaving the Leipzig defender to take out his frustration on the substitutes’ shelter.
Lyon had been going through its worst streak since it went eight games without a victory in 1996.
Zenit St. Petersburg defeated Benfica 3-1 at home in the other Group G game. Zenit and Lyon top the group on four points, with Leipzig on three and Benfica on zero.
