Olympique Lyonnais’ Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes spoke of his mixed feelings after his side’s 3-0 UEFA Champions League semifinal defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday at Estadio Alvalade in Lisbon.
“It was great to play in Portugal, it was a very special feeling for me. This defeat was complicated,” lamented the goalkeeper, who was born in France to Portuguese parents.
“We had a lot of opportunities in the first 15 minutes, we even hit the post. The team ended up not scoring goals, and that ended up complicating everything,” he said.
The experienced goalkeeper also praised the recent performances of Lyon’s young Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes, who only arrived at the club in January.
“Bruno is a spectacular player, he is very intelligent, despite being at Lyon for a short time. The team was spectacular with him. He is an ace – he must continue to demonstrate his level. I hope he gets to the Brazilian national team soon,” he said.
Fellow Brazilian defender Marcelo Guedes also highlighted Lyon’s missed opportunities, noting that Bayern’s quality shone through.
“Even though we knew we had had a good campaign, we were sad, because we had a chance to win this game. There were three occasions in the first half,” he lamented.
“They were going to retreat, and we were unable to score, and Bayern, when given the chance, scored. Then, they sat back and that made us tired, so we didn’t have the strength to get back in the game,” he concluded.
The final of the 2020 UEFA Champions League will take place next Sunday between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
