The sound from the stands at the Olympic Park stadium was deafening; the sight of more than 50,000 home fans cheering for Lyon simultaneously was truly magnificent.

The fans were very excited.

Houllier's initial nervousness gradually eased as the game progressed.

Before the start of the match, Houllier was somewhat worried when he saw Li Shiguang's lineup.

In Europe, Leeds United's attacking prowess is widely recognized as one of the best.

Seeing that Li Shiguang had put together this lineup.

Hollier instantly realized that what Li Shiguang had said in the media was definitely not a joke; he was determined to make his words a reality.

So Houllier had some concerns beforehand. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to withstand Leeds United's initial onslaught. If he conceded a goal early on, the game would be really difficult.

But a few minutes later.

Hollier found that his worries seemed somewhat unnecessary.

Because Leeds United's expected initial burst of attacking prowess failed to materialize, Lyon, determined to solidify their defense first, and led by Juninho, constantly threatened Leeds United's penalty area!

Except for the first minute, when Ibrahimovic received a lob pass from Modric in the backfield, dribbled into the penalty area and shot, forcing Coupet to make a save, Lyon completely controlled the rhythm of the game for the rest of the match.

The fifth minute.

Juninho played a through ball down the middle, and Govou beat the offside trap. Govou took a low shot with his left foot from the edge of the six-yard box, but Neuer, who had anticipated the shot and rushed out of his goal, blocked it out of bounds with his left foot.

Juninho then took a corner kick, Benzema flicked the ball on with his head at the near post, and Toulalan, following up, broke free of the defense and leaped high to head the ball towards the goal, but Neuer was alert and caught the ball securely.

Ninth minute.

Lyon's other central midfielder, Shelstrom, delivered a through ball from Leeds United's left midfield. The ball traveled along the flank and directly broke through Leeds United's defense, slipping through the gap between Silva and Kompany.

Govou then caught up with Shelstrom's pass near the byline, and without stopping the ball, he turned his body and pushed it towards the far corner of the Leeds United goal with his right foot, only to be tackled by Neuer, who was on the ground.

····

"Hiss... This is a bit different from what I imagined." In the Sky Sports studio, Lineker, who was sweating profusely, said awkwardly, "Before the match, we all thought Leeds United would launch the first attack, but now it seems that almost ten minutes into the game, Lyon, who are relatively weaker, are in control of the game!"

“Yes, Leeds United doesn’t seem to be in form yet.” Jon frowned as well. Although he wasn’t a Leeds United fan, he was currently supporting a Premier League team. “I feel like Lee is being a bit too complacent. Ribery and Bale are certainly very strong forward, but defensively, they don’t provide enough protection for the midfield, especially the flanks…”

“Hmm!” Hunter continued Jon’s words, “If Leeds United had the initiative, their two players would have maximized their advantages! But Lyon has clearly gained momentum now... If this continues, problems will arise sooner or later!”

····

Li Shiguang and his two companions sat in a row on the bench, having witnessed the team's unfavorable situation during this period.

After Govou's shot that caused such a commotion in front of the Leeds United goal, Simeone finally couldn't help but say, "Boss, something seems off. Shouldn't we make some adjustments?"

Li Shiguang is actually doing alright.

The situation after the start of the game was indeed a bit beyond his expectations, but in his opinion, it was far from time to make adjustments.

“Don’t be in such a hurry, Diego.” Li Shiguang shook his head gently. “Have you forgotten what I said before the match? We need to give Gareth and Frank some time to adapt. They haven’t played as wing-backs in a long time. Once they’ve adapted, it won’t be so easy for Lyon to find a breakthrough on our flanks.”

Li Shiguang's confident and composed demeanor eased Simone's worries considerably.

But with his team at a disadvantage, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "But what if they score first...we..."

"Damn it, you jinx!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shiguang and Rivaldo jumped up from their seats on either side of Simeone. By the time Simeone looked up at the pitch again, Lyon's players were already celebrating in Leeds United's penalty area!

····

When Simone expressed his concerns to Li Shiguang, it was Leeds United's attacking turn.

Instead of passing the ball directly to midfield, Neuer chose to pass it to Thiago Silva, who was standing outside the penalty area.

After Silva received the ball, he intended to pass it to the wing, but as soon as he turned around, before he could find Ribery's position, he saw Lyon's striker, who had already found opportunities behind him twice, rushing towards him at high speed.

Given the distance between Silva and Govou, it wouldn't have been a problem if he had made the pass decision immediately.

The problem was that, at that moment, Silva's mind seemed to freeze. Instead of passing the ball, he pushed it to his left and then turned to the side, preparing to pass it into the middle!

Govou rushed up but failed to get the ball.

But Silva's unnecessary movement gave Govou the opportunity to disrupt the pass.

Govou sprinted past Silva from behind and then, with a barely perceptible movement, tugged at Silva's jersey.

This caused Silva, who was about to pass the ball, to lose his balance, and the ball he passed naturally deviated from its intended trajectory.

Alonso, who was preparing to receive the ball, saw that Silva was being interfered with and was about to run forward to receive the ball.

But someone was faster than him.

Juninho has been keeping an eye on this position.

When the Brazilian midfielder saw that Silva's pass lacked power, he made the decision to move forward and naturally intercepted the ball.

At this moment, it was to his right front.

Benzema had been lurking around Cannavaro, and when he saw Cannavaro take a step forward to defend Juninho, Benzema immediately started running diagonally into Leeds United's penalty area.

Benzema starts.

Juninho passes the ball.

Benzema ran into Leeds United's penalty area.

Juninho's pass arrived just in time!

In that instant, the two players' cooperation was seamless, and Leeds United's already hasty and somewhat chaotic defense was torn to shreds!

The football rolled past Benzema's right side.

The young Frenchman simply looked up and glanced at Neuer's position.

The next second.

He swung his right leg up.

"Bang!"

A powerful shot sent the ball skimming the grass toward the far post of the Leeds United goal.

Neuer reacted immediately, falling to his side.

The shot was too close to the goal, and Benzema's shot was too powerful; Neuer's hand barely touched the ball.

But the ball still slipped through Neuer's hands, bounced off the grass, and nestled into the far corner of the Leeds United goal.

1:0!

Lyon are leading at home!