Abdel Moneim's downfall: a red card and a disallowed goal light up Lyon's clash with Nice
Lyon beat their visitors Nice 2-1 on Sunday evening, bringing the curtain down on the seventh round of the French league.
Egyptian defender Mohamed Abdelmonem started for Nice and picked up a booking in the 48th minute.
Abdelmonem also triggered Lyon player Kaito Nakamura's dismissal in the 70th minute, before leaving the pitch himself in the 81st.
The website Foot Mercato ran through the main highlights of the match. Lyon turned things around in the first half through Pavel Sulc and Tanner Tessmann, then held out against Nice's attacks in the final 20 minutes despite being a man down.
Missing Tolisso, Nuamah, Morton and Greif, Lyon still imposed their control on proceedings from the very start. Plenty of possession and a high press meant Paulo Fonseca's side monopolised the ball, but Yehvann Diouf's goal was never seriously threatened.
Against all expectations, Nice opened the scoring. From their first real attack, Jonathan Clauss broke down the right flank before sending in a well-measured cross to Elye Wahi, who found the net with a direct strike that nestled in the tight corner of Remy Descamps' goal, the opener arriving in the 18th minute.
Lyon's dominance brought its reward in the 32nd minute. Duranville burst down the left and Diouf saved his powerful effort, but Sulc followed up perfectly and tucked the ball into the net for 1-1. Two minutes later, from a free kick taken with a short pass between Boudaoui and a team-mate, Atikam delivered a cross that reached the head of Tanner Tessmann. Lyon led 2-1 in the 34th minute.
Superiority in one-on-one duels, greater technical precision and ferocity in winning the ball back saw Lyon's players deservedly end the first half in front, with 60% of possession and seven shots.
As the second half got under way, Lyon initially maintained their control. Duranville stayed very busy down the left. But gradually, unlike in the first half, Nice began to create danger around their opponents' goal.
From a set piece taken by Clauss, Axel Witsel rose to meet it with a header that struck the crossbar of Descamps' goal in the 52nd minute. A few minutes later, Nkunku tried his luck with a powerful shot from the left side, forcing the Lyon goalkeeper to push it away.
Improved passing accuracy, quicker ball circulation and greater ferocity in winning it back allowed Nice to take the initiative going forward, and they succeeded in disrupting Lyon's defensive organisation. Even so, Lyon remained capable of creating danger on the counter-attack, particularly when Boudaoui wasted a chance through a lack of precision in the final touch, following another burst from Duranville. Fonseca's players showed clear defensive solidity and preserved their lead despite the mounting pressure.
The match turned decisively in the 70th minute. Around 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute for Duranville, Nakamura was sent off for a straight red after unintentionally planting his studs in Abdelmonem's chest during a challenge for an aerial ball. Down to ten men, Lyon had to face a Nice team suddenly handed a major morale boost by their numerical advantage.
Three minutes later, Wahi came close to a second personal goal when he met a cross from Nkunku with a header, but his effort across goal struck the post in the 73rd minute. In stoppage time, Wahi had a goal ruled out for offside.
Victory lifts Olympique Lyonnais to the top of the French league on 14 points, while Nice remain stuck on 8 points in 13th place.
