Kuzyaev missed a spectacular moment in the match against Lyon! But he was still the best on the field.
Dmitry Zimin September 18, 2023, 00:12 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Le Havre did not allow Grosso to win his first game with his new team.
Lyon is the main disappointment of the start of the season in France. Three defeats in four games, and this with Lacazette, Tagliafico and Tolisso in the lineup. Just a nightmare. Naturally, the management did not tolerate it and fired the legendary Laurent Blanc during the break in the national team’s matches. They wanted to invite Lampard or Gattuso, but it was not possible to reach an agreement with them. Therefore, they made a less obvious decision: they called up the 2006 world champion, Fabio Grosso. There is nothing remarkable about his coaching career: he worked in Bari, Brescia, Frosinone and even a business trip to Sion. Now it is one of the main clubs in France. Interesting professional growth.
In the first match the opponent is Le Havre, where Daler Kuzyaev becomes a star. At the beginning of the season, the Russian is the best player on the team with excellent reviews. They have already scored twice and Le Havre itself, with five points, is not even in the relegation zone. Great to start.
Naturally, with Lyon Kuzyaev again found himself in the starting eleven. And again in a mysterious role. In some episodes he became the second central striker along with Baio, in others he dropped to the right flank. He also shone in the center and on the left. If you look at the heat map of Daler’s stock, it looks like he played everywhere. A unique option for a coach who uses it with confidence.
And how great Golovin played on the tour:
“I’m glad to see Golovin wearing the captain’s armband!” The best game by a Russian this season
But, in fact, the first half played by both teams was terrible. Yes, Lyon, as the owner and favorite, took the ball and the initiative, but up front almost nothing worked. In 45 minutes there was only one moment of danger, when Sherki made a good shot and even hit the target, although it hit the goalkeeper. The rest is slowness on the ball, lack of creativity up front and decent pressure from Le Havre. The team in which Kuzyaev plays has traditionally shown excellent physical preparation. This helped a lot in Lyon: the guys still did not fully understand how to implement Grosso’s ideas.
But in the second half the teams seemed to recover. After all, between the two of them they created so many chances that they would have been enough for the entire match. Already in the 48th minute, Lyon should have opened the scoring: Lacazette brought out Koumbedi to shoot, but he shot close to the top corner. Then Nuama flew towards the door, but was dragged away by Desma. It seemed that Lyon’s goal was only a matter of time, but at that moment Le Havre took the initiative.
And what a moment Kuzyaev had! Kazimi threw it to Daler, who was running towards the penalty area, and he headed into the top corner. A little bit wasn’t enough for the ball to hit the target. And the goalkeeper, it seems, would be helpless at this moment.
A few minutes later, Le Havre experienced a new moment. Again with the participation of Kuzyaev, the best player on the team. Daler passed the ball to Kazimir, who crossed the area, and Grandsir finished from point-blank range into an empty goal. But he managed to shoot higher: Le Havre’s last real scoring chance.
All about Le Havre’s first victory in the French Championship:
“How cool is Kuzyaev!” The Russian gave the team its first victory of the season in France
Then Lyon set off again. The visitors got into a defensive position and counterattacked mainly in the last 15-20 minutes. Not to say that Grosso’s team created extremely dangerous moments, but they constantly forced the goalkeeper. However, Le Havre survived. And again he did not lose: the newcomer to the league has only one defeat in four games.
Daler Kuzyaev in the match against Lyon
Photo: hac-foot.com
Kuzyaev was only substituted in the 89th minute. Another good game, although not productive, for the Russian.
