Ivorian and Cameroonian forwards Maxwel Cornet and Karl Toko Ekambi featured for French Club Lyon as they qualified for the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Friday despite losing 2-1 to Juventus in Turin.

Cornet, who featured prominently for the Kids as they shocked the Old Lady 1-0 in the first leg at Groupama Stadium in February, once again played the full 90 mins in Turin as he put in a decent display, making 30 passes with a pass accuracy of 90%.

Cornet has been a key member of Rudi Garcia’s side this season, featuring in 35 appearances, scoring five goals and providing five assists across all competitions.

His African compatriot, Toko Ekambi started upfront with Dutch striker, Memphis Depay. Playing for 67 mins, the Cameroonian made 11 passes with a pass accuracy of 81%.

Lyon squeezed past the Italian champions thanks to Memphis Depay’s 12th-minute penalty which put Rudi Garcia’s side two goals ahead in the tie and left Juve with a mountain to climb.

Cristiano Ronaldo levelled the scores on the night with a penalty of his own with two minutes left in the opening period before crashing a second home on the hour mark.

Lyon managed to hold on to set up a clash with Pep Guardiola’s City, who put out 13-time winners Real Madrid, on August 15.

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Deji is one of the leading Athletics journalists in Nigeria as he possesses a deep passion for PR and branding athletes. He has extensively covered a wide range of sporting competitions, both within and outside Nigeria, with a particular focus on showcasing African Sports Stories. In addition to his journalistic prowess, he is well-versed in Sports Management and Marketing.

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