In a key middle-of-the-table Ligue 1 match on Wednesday, 2014-15 runners-up Olympique Lyon dominated and pulled away late over in-form FC Girondins de Bordeaux, sealing a 3-0 victory with a brace from star man Alexandre Lacazette and a stoppage time goal added on by Aldo Kalulu.
Lacazette, who had been struggling prior to his duo of goals at Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday, now has nine league goals on the season, sixth of all players in France and four better than Claudio Beauvue, Lyon's next highest scorer.
Controlling play leads to Lyon breakthrough before half time
Straight out the gate, Les Gones were the dominant team controlling possession in the attacking half of the pitch but unable to slide a ball into Bordeaux's net.
Maxime Gonalons had a promising headed attempt just hacked off the line coming from an 18th-minute corner, but other than that, Lyon's command didn't manifest itself in any awfully-close chances most of the way through the first 45 minutes.
That didn't take away from the match's entertainment value, however, as Diego Rolan and Lacazette went back-and-forth on their respective attacks. The Frenchman tried his hand at a screaming ground strike in the 25th minute that ended up just to the goal's right.
Rolan came firing back in the 30th minute, challenging keeper Anthony Lopes with an incisive shot from inside the left-hand portion of the penalty area; but Lopes stood his ground and kept out the Uruguayan's trying endeavor.
Lyon finally bagged a goal in the 41st minute, as midfielder Corentin Tolisso released Lacazette, sending a through ball to the club's main man, who rounded goalie Paul Bernardoni and slotted the ball into the right-hand pocket of the net to hand Les Gones a 1-0 advantage.
The one-goal lead stood heading into the midway interval, despite the persistent 45th-minute attempts by Rolan and Bordeaux.
Entertaining second half seals result with late Lyon duo
Bordeaux would not give ground for the majority of the second half, trying to claw back and equalize with a goal of their own.
Rolan came incredibly close to converting once again in the 56th minute, seeing his shot from right outside the six-yard box blocked by Jeremy Morel and a result ricochet out of play. Four minutes later, new Lyon forward Maxwel Cornet linked up with Lacazette, who's right-footed effort went just wide.
Cheick Diabate and Rolan remained tenacious on the Bordeaux attack, with the Uruguayan once again challenging Lopes in the 73rd minute, this time with a well-placed header that was saved top-right.
Bordeaux did begin to tire in the final 15 minutes, and Lacazette and company took advantage in the 87th minute. Bernardoni and defender Frederic Guilbert collided on a play in the box, and Lacazette took advantage, knocking the ball in from point blank range to earn himself a brace and tack on a goal as security for Lyon's slim lead.
A third Lyon goal rubbed salt in Bordeaux's wound three minutes into added time, as Cristophe Jallet pinpointed Kalulu inside the box and the Lyon-born striker beat Bernardoni for his home club's third time of the evening.
The game ended shortly after with OL grabbing their three points and Bordeaux leaving with none, just as portrayed by the final tally on the scoreboard, 3-0. Both clubs now have 33 points at the middle of the French league table.