The derby between AS Saint-Étienne and Olympique Lyonnais aroused many reactions this week after the victory of the Stéphanois over the 2-1 score. As they approached their match against Rennes, the Lyon players held a press conference last Thursday where they returned to this passionate derby.

OL defender Moussa Niakhaté expressed his disappointment after his team’s defeat in Saint-Étienne: “We are all upset after what happened. We are touched in our honor, in our self-esteem. It was a big blow to the head on Sunday. We must go back to the field and not hide, we can’t wait to correct the shot.” He also pointed out that the arrival of Paulo Fonseca had so far been synonymous with two goals scored per game, a stat that was not reached during the derby.

For his part, Pierre Ekwah of ASSE acknowledged that tactical problems had contributed to the defeat of his team, but he also highlighted the importance of the state of mind and aggressiveness displayed during a derby: “They really played a derby and not us. I think tactical problems go well after all this!”

Corentin Tolisso’s injury was also discussed at the press conference. Paulo Fonseca, OL coach, said that “players who get hurt are part of football,” but he pointed out that the scenario of the match had been difficult to bear: “Football is too mental and emotional. The truth is that for the derby, we must have another attitude. "

Finally, Fonseca admitted that her team had not started the game well and that she had to take a closer look to avoid this kind of situation in the future: “We have to think about what happened. The most important thing now is the next game!”