On 15 December, one of the matches of the 16th round of the French football championship took place. Monaco (France) and Lyon (France) met.
French Championship, 16th round
Monaco (France) - Lyon (France) - 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Jefinho (85)
Warnings: Wilfried Singo (29), Mata (31), Henrique (90+6).
Monaco hosted Olympique Lyonnais in a highly anticipated Ligue 1 match at Stade Louis II. The game ended 0-1 in Lyon's favour, but not without some tense moments and strategic substitutions. The first half was fiercely fought by both teams, and neither team managed to break the deadlock. In the 29th minute, Monaco's V. Singo received a yellow card and two minutes later Clinton Mata was sent off. At the start of the second half, both teams were determined to win the all-important three points. Monaco made their first substitution of the match on 70 minutes when M. Camara came on in place of E. Diop. Lyon quickly responded with a substitution in the 71st minute, bringing on R. Cherchi in place of M. Diawara. Lyon continued to make changes to their line-up, with K. Tolisso replacing A. Maitland-Niles in the 71st minute and N. Tagliafico coming on in place of Henrique in the 74th minute.
Monaco also made their second substitution in the 78th minute, bringing on M. Aclouche in place of V. Ben Yedder. As the game entered its final stages, T. Cadever and E. Nuama replaced A. Lacazette and Josephinho in the 83rd minute. The substitutions paid off two minutes later, when Jefinho struck a brilliant shot into the far corner to put Lyon ahead in the 85th minute. Monaco made their third and last substitution on 88 minutes: I. Jacobs replaced K. Ouattara. In the last minutes of the game, the tension was growing, and in the 90th minute Lyon's Enrique received a yellow card. In the end, Lyon emerged victorious from this tense contest thanks to a late goal by Géfinho. The match showed the intensity and competitiveness of Ligue 1, with both teams fighting for a coveted victory. It was a thrilling contest at the Stade Louis II and the fans were on edge until the final whistle.
In the next round, the following matches await the rivals: Toulouse vs Monaco, Lyon vs Nantes.
| Monaco | Lyon | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Kicks to the goal | 2 |
| 19 | Kicks | 5 |
| 4 | Blocked shots | 1 |
| 11 | Penalty kicks | 2 |
| 8 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 3 |
| 13 | Offences | 11 |
| 6 | Corner | 1 |
| 2 | Offsides | 1 |
| 59% | Ball possession | 41% |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 1 | Keeper saves | 4 |
| 574 | Total assists | 403 |
| 480 | Accurate assists | 309 |
| 84% | Accuracy of passes | 77% |