Mikautadze and Nuamah Shine with Double Goals as Lyon Thrashes FCSB to Secure Quarter-Final Spot

Olympique Lyonnais comfortably secured their place in another European quarter-final, achieving a commanding 7-1 aggregate triumph over a struggling FCSB, who fell to a 4-0 defeat on the night in France.

Intent on concluding the tie swiftly, the home side forced Lukas Zima into an impressive early save, diving low to his right to parry away Ernest Nuamah’s curling effort, which had been set up by a delightful pass from Rayan Cherki.

However, they didn’t have to wait long to take the lead. A midfield turnover allowed Georges Mikautadze to take control in the box.

After a couple of nifty stepovers, he skillfully weaved past three defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the FCSB net.

The European Champions of 1986 urgently needed a response, which almost came when Malcom Edjouma had his shot saved. This was one of the few chances for FCSB, as Lyon dominated the match.

Nuamah wasted a couple of quick opportunities, first hitting the post before missing an open net on the rebound in one of the season’s biggest blunders, but he redeemed himself moments later by scoring from inside the box.

This increased the lead for Paulo Fonseca’s side, and the manager was no doubt relishing the occasion, especially as he had recently begun a nine-month touchline ban in domestic football after confronting a referee.

Things could have become 3-0 before half-time, but Zima was equal to Nuamah’s attempt, while Cherki blasted just wide of the top corner with a powerful strike from 25 yards out.

Not satisfied with merely one assist, Cherki was at it again just after the interval, charging into the box before setting up Mikautadze, who elegantly finished across the goalkeeper into the bottom corner.

Indeed, Cherki continued to torment FCSB right until his final touch of the match—almost securing a third assist of the night with another impressive run and pass to Mikautadze, who, however, missed the target with his shot.

In the end, it was a straightforward victory for Lyon, marking their sixth win in just eight matches since Fonseca took charge in late January.

Mikautadze squandered another chance as he sought his first hat-trick in club football since November 2022.

For FCSB, this was only their second defeat in 11 matches, yet it served as a harsh reminder of the disparity between them and their French counterparts—an issue made even more evident when Nuamah capped off his night with a volley from Mikautadze’s cross in the 88th minute.