Sports

NEW YORK — World No. 1 Novak Djokovic battled through neck pain on the way to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 victory over Ricardas Berankis at the Western & Southern Open, where second seed Dominic Thiem crashed out.

Djokovic, who pulled out of doubles with a sore neck on Sunday, made it through to the round of 16 despite the ailment, for which he received treatment on court.

“It’s getting better,” he said after the 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 win. “It’s been four days. It’s not yet where I’d like it to be but it’s heading in the right direction.”

That’s good news with the US Open starting on August 31 on the same New York hardcourts hosting this week’s tournament, which was moved from Cincinnati to establish a quarantine bubble for the upcoming Grand Slam.

Djokovic next faces American Tennys Sandgren, a 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) winner over 15th-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The upset of the day was at the opposite end of the men’s draw, as 32nd-ranked Filip Krajinovic of Serbia toppled Austria’s Thiem 6-2, 6-1.

“I think I started really well today. I was aggressive and I’m really happy that I’m in the third round,” said 32nd-ranked Krajinovic, who dropped just two service points on the way to victory.

Thiem, who pushed Djokovic to five sets in an Australian Open runner-up finish in January, couldn’t find his rhythm in his first match since the ATP tour resumed after a five-month coronavirus hiatus.

“It was just a horrible game by myself,” Thiem said. Didn’t play well at all, didn’t get any rhythm.

“I had really troubles with returning.”

Krajinovic lined up a meeting with Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who ousted 14th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray also notched an upset, surprising World No. 7 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 for his first win over a top-10 player in more than three years.

The Scot was facing defeat when Zverev served for the match at 5-4 in the third, but reeled off three straight games to seal the win.

In women’s action, third-seeded Serena Williams bucked the upset trend that saw top seed Karolina Pliskova and No. 2 Sofia Kenin ousted on Sunday.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion battled back from the brink against Dutch qualifier Arantxa Rus, dominating a third-set to win 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-6 (7/0).

Williams dropped four straight games in the second set against the hard-hitting left-hander, who has never won a WTA title.

After rallying from 0-40 down in the opening game of the third she looked to have turned the tide with a service break on the way to a 3-0 lead.

Serving for the match at 5-3 in the third, Williams was broken to love, Rus winning the next two to give herself a chance to serve it out.

She was broken, and Williams crushed her in the tiebreaker to wrap up a bruising victory in two hours and 49 minutes.

It was Williams’ fourth three-set match since she returned at a tournament in Lexington, Kentucky, in the wake of the WTA’s coronavirus shutdown.

Fifth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus fought her way into the third round, downing American Cici Bellis 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5.

Eighth-seeded Briton Johanna Konta moved on, but two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the sixth seed fell 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 to fellow Czech Marie Bouzkova.

LISBON — It will be remembered as the strangest of Champions League seasons, but it has ended with a familiar name on the trophy after Bayern Munich got the better of Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s final in Lisbon, with their deserved success the result of the remarkable job done by coach Hansi Flick.

There was tickertape at the trophy ceremony and the usual celebratory songs playing over the loudspeakers at the Estadio da Luz as the Bayern players savoured the moment after Kingsley Coman’s goal saw them defeat PSG 1-0.

But it was a bizarre spectacle with the 65,000-seat stadium empty, supporters having been barred from attending the biggest match in club football.

The coronavirus pandemic killed the Champions League as we know it, at least temporarily, and UEFA was forced to come up with a new “Final Eight” format in order to make sure its flagship competition was completed.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin told AFP in an interview in Lisbon that the format was likely to be a one-off, and some will be tempted to say that this Champions League should always have an asterisk next to it.

But, against first-time finalists PSG, Bayern were worthy winners of their sixth European Cup, their third in the Champions League era.

They won all their 11 Champions League matches this season, an unprecedented feat. 

They scored 43 goals in that time on a run that included a 7-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur and the stunning 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the quarter-finals in Lisbon.

They just had the better of the final, even if they were fortunate at times up against the French side’s formidable attack of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.

In Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba and Thomas Mueller, Bayern’s line-up featured four survivors from their last final victory, against Borussia Dortmund in 2013.

But this was also about the new faces, such as 19-year-old left-back Alphonso Davies, the Canadian international.

“Moments like these you dream of as a kid,” he told DAZN. “I honestly can’t believe it, winning the Champions League is the top level.”

Winning formula

Flick deserves great credit.

A year ago Bayern were dumped out by Liverpool, the eventual winners, in the last 16, and under Niko Kovac looked a long way off being contenders to win the trophy again.

But Flick replaced Kovac in November, initially as caretaker, and has gone on to win a treble.

“It’s such a huge joy, it feels like we have come a long way since November,” said Mueller, a player reborn under Flick.

“I don’t know how it looked from outside, but it felt like we deserved it in the way we played.”

As for changing coach mid-season, it is a formula that has worked for clubs at this level in the recent past.

Flick is the third coach in the last decade to win the Champions League having being appointed during a campaign, after Roberto di Matteo with Chelsea in 2011/12 and Zinedine Zidane with Real Madrid in 2015/16.

Zidane went on to win the next two as well.

‘Not the football 

we know’

It remains to be seen how Bayern will fare next season, which is just around the corner, with the Bundesliga starting on September 18 and the Champions League group stage in October.

They will be a formidable force again, but so will their rivals, including PSG, who need not be too downbeat in defeat.

“Over the last few weeks we have shown everything you need to win every title going,” said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel.

“We lost 1-0 in the final against one of the strongest sides in Europe. We must maintain the same quality to carry on this road.”

The format of one-off matches in the quarter-finals and semifinals maybe helped PSG more than anybody else, given their struggles in knockout ties in recent years.

But, as long as the health crisis does not worsen again, the Champions League will return to normal in the new campaign, and that includes seeing at least some fans return to stadiums.

Istanbul is in line to host the 2021 final, having had this season’s showpiece taken away, and hopefully the winning team will be able to celebrate with their supporters.

As Flick said: “It’s a pity that the fans couldn’t be here with us today. Perhaps they can be back again in the future. A game like this without supporters is not the football that we know.”

NEW YORK — Britain’s Andy Murray made a triumphant ATP comeback Saturday, defeating Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-1 in his first match of 2020 at the Western and Southern Open.

The 33-year-old Scotsman advanced in hot and humid conditions to a second-round date with German fifth seed Alexander Zverev at the COVID-19 quarantine bubble that will also be used for the US Open, which starts on August 31.

Murray won the 2012 US Open as well as the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon titles plus the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medals.

Former World No. 1 Murray, now ranked 129th, suffered a pelvic injury at the Davis Cup last November and that, combined with the pandemic shutdown, kept him out of competition until he faced 22-year-old Tiafoe in a meeting of wildcard entrants.

“I thought I moved well today,” Murray said. “That was probably the thing I was most happy with and probably the thing I was most apprehensive about going into the match.

“My tennis could have been better. I did some things well at the end, but I could definitely improve in terms of my game.”

Murray broke Tiafoe for a 2-0 lead in the third set when the American missed a volley, broke again to 5-1 with a backhand return winner and held at love to finish matters after two hours and 28 minutes.

Murray was the 2008 and 2011 winner in this Grand Slam tune-up event, usually staged in Cincinnati but moved to New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic that wiped out much of the season, including Wimbledon.

He rallied from 2-5 down in the first set tiebreaker to gain the upper hand. But Tiafoe gained the first break of the match for a 5-3 lead in the second and held to force a third set.

The match was played on the National Tennis Centre Grandstand court, the event’s feature court with no matches until the US Open scheduled at Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium.

With no spectators in attendance, Murray said he missed the boost that fans can provide, and he had to make a conscious effort to early in the third set to energise himself with fist pumps and the like.

“That helped a bit,” he said.

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime appeared to be at a loss as his 6-4, 6-1 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili concluded, with no crowd to cheer or groan when Basilashvili buried a forehand in the net on match point.

“I actually threw a ball at my coach,” said Auger-Aliassime, who usually tosses a ball to a fan after a win.

Auger-Aliassime had the distinction of being the first winner on the ATP tour as it resumed after a five-month coronavirus shutdown.

Fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the 12th seed, closed out the day’s action with a brisk 6-3, 6-3 victory over former US Open champion Marin Cilic.

Yastremska ousts Venus

On the women’s side, 20-year-old 16th seed Dayana Yastremska beat seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams 5-7, 6-2, 7-5. 

Facing the elder Williams sister for the first time, Yastremska let a 4-2 first-set lead get away after twisting her ankle, but after having it taped she rallied to win the next two.

She gained the first service break in the third set for a 5-4 lead but was broken as she served for the match.

She responded by breaking Williams to love then saved three break points to close out the victory over the American star who turned 40 in June.

“I really wanted to withdraw because of the pain,” Yastremska said. “But I played against Venus Williams, so I really wanted to finish that match, even with the pain.

“It wasn’t matter for me I’m going to win or I’m going to lose, but I have to give it everything I have, even with the pain.”

Greek 13th seed Maria Sakkari defeated US teen Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in 64 minutes. Sakkari could face 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams in the third round.

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) has decided to cease all sport activities for one week as of Sunday, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The JOC Executive Board took the decision in light of the COVID-19 positive cases recorded at one of the clubs in the Jordan Football Association.

The JOC — the umbrella organisation for sport in Jordan – always makes the safety and well-being of its athletes, coaches and workers a priority. The JOC also reminded the national sport federations to follow the health and safety procedures that are in place to maintain the safety of sport sector.

LISBON — Germany legend Lothar Matthaeus warned Bayern Munich to defend deeper in Sunday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint Germain or risk blowing the treble.

After demolishing Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals, Bayern endured a nervous start to Wednesday’s 3-0 semifinal win over Lyon, who wrecked havoc early on by getting in behind the Germans’ defence.

“Bayern had a harder time against Lyon than against Barcelona,” former Bayern midfielder and West Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus said on Wednesday.

“If they play like that on Sunday, they won’t win the Champions League or live up to the role as favourites. 

“Paris have more quality than Barcelona and Lyon, they also have enough players who can put the ball into the key spaces.”

Lyon squandered golden chances when quick passes into space initially forced Bayern onto the back foot.

Memphis Depay fired wide and Toko Ekambi hit the post for Lyon in the opening 15 minutes before Serge Gnabry calmed Munich nerves with two first-half goals.

A late Robert Lewandowski header sealed the win to extend Bayern’s winning streak to 21 matches.

Bayern’s ability to score is without question after racking up 42 goals in 10 European matches, 15 of which by Lewandowski, the Champions League’s top-scorer, while Gnabry is on nine.

Space to exploit

Yet, their defence struggled on occasion, raising concerns what PSG’s forwards Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria could do with space to exploit.

“In attack, they still have their quality, but at the back they need to be more stable,” said Matthaeus.

“Maybe against Paris they shouldn’t defend so high, because Paris will use the speed of Neymar and Mbappe”.

Bayern’s head coach agreed with Matthaeus.

“We were lucky to hold out in the first phase of the match,” admitted Hansi Flick, who seemed more relieved than euphoric to reach the final.

“We’ll have to see that we organise the defence a little differently.

“Our great strength is pressuring on the opponent and I think that we will succeed against Paris as well.”

Centre-back David Alaba saids Bayern’s pressing game — forcing opponents into mistakes in their own half — carries a certain risk, but they can adapt against PSG.

“Of course, we play a game which always carries a high risk because we stand so high [up the pitch],” said the Austria defender.

“You can’t defend every ball, we will look at the [Lyon] game and make our analysis.”

‘Clay feet’

Specialist German magazine Kicker described Bayern as “a giant with feet of clay” on Thursday, pointing to Thiago Alcantara’s poor pass that led to Depay’s chance and Alphonso Davies’ lapse in concentration before Ekambi hit the post.

Joshua Kimmich was guilty of poor positioning on occasions, but Benjamin Pavard could replace him at right-back against PSG after recovering from injury.

Bayern’s back four will be under pressure to cope with the Parisians’ pace, especially centre-backs Alaba and Jerome Boateng, who came off against Lyon with a leg knock.

Former Bayern and France defender Bixente Lizarazu spelt out how to counter PSG’s attack.

“When Mbappe is there, the opposing defence moves back twenty metres. That changes everything,” said Lizarazu, 50, who won six Bundesliga titles in Munich.

“You have to know how to defend deep and not everyone knows how to do that.”

AMMAN  —  With seven Faisali football team members so far testing positive for COVID-19, the 68th Jordan Professional League was again put on hold only three weeks after it resumed earlier this month.

Five players and two staff members tested positive while Ramtha players were quarantined in Amman after many cases in the city of Ramtha led to heightened alert and more testing countrywide.

The Jordan Football Federation (JFA) initially postponed Ramtha’s matches, but after the Faisali cases came up, it was announced on the weekend the league would be put on hold for two weeks.

Following Week 4, Wihdat remained in the lead after beating Aqaba 3-0. They are followed by JFA Shield semifinalists Sarih who beat Jazira 3-1. Faisali stayed in the top three after they beat Sahab 3-2. Ramtha held newcomers Ma’an 1-1 and Shabab Urdun held Salt 0-0 find themselves midway through the rankings. Hussein beat Ahli 1-0 as the latter joined Aqaba at the bottom of the table after a winless record so far.

The initial kickoff earlier this year was delayed for nearly six months for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup national team qualifiers. Clubs had already been reeling with lack of sponsors, injuries and lack of momentum after a long break with reigning champs Faisali the first to start the season on a weak footing after they lost in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

In addition to COVID-19 fears, the current league was put on hold in March after teams played one round following which 11 clubs announced they were suspending participation as the JFA downsized prize money compounded by noticeable officiating mistakes.

The JFA’s main sponsor, the Manaseer Group, ended its 10-year sponsorship last year, leading to noticeably downsized prize money for the league champ from JD120,000 to JD60,000, and from JD80,000 to JD30,000 for the runner-up. Similarly, the Jordan Cup champs will get JD30,000 down from JD57,000. The Super Cup and Shield winners prize was also slashed to JD25,000.

The season recently kicked off with Wihdat beating Ramtha to win the 33rd Jordan Football Association Shield. It was Wihdat’s record 10th Shield title while Ramtha, who have not won a major competition recently, last won the Jordan Cup in 1990-1991 and the Shield in 2001.

On the other hand, Faisali beat Jazira to win the 37th Jordan Super Cup — the second major competition on the annual football calendar. The Super Cup has now been won by Faisali a record 17 times out of 25 final appearances, Wihdat have won 13 times, Ramtha and Shabab Urdun twice each while Jazira, Hussein and Ahli won once each.

Last year’s league remained undecided until the final two weeks before Faisali took home their record 34th title, one point ahead of Jazira who had led throughout the competition and settled for runner-up. With financial difficulties, Jazira have had an issue consolidating their line-up and were unimpressive in regional events. Titleholders Wihdat settled for third, Shabab Urdun finished fourth, Salt finished 5th, Aqaba finished 6th. 

That Ras, a previous Asian Football Confederation Cup participant and 2012 Jordan Cup champ, were the first be relegated to the First Division, followed by Baqa’a.

LISBON — Paris Saint-Germain are through to the final of the Champions League for the first time after goals by Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria and Juan Bernat saw them ease to a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig in a one-sided semifinal in Lisbon on Tuesday.

It was 2-0 at half-time, with the first two goals set up by Neymar, the Brazilian again outstanding at the Estadio da Luz, just as he had been in last week’s quarter-final against Atalanta.

Bernat’s goal came in the 55th minute and snuffed out any hopes Leipzig had of a comeback. They could not handle the world’s most expensive player, or the many other outstanding performers in the PSG side, who no longer appear overcome by the sense of occasion that surrounds a Champions League knockout tie.

After seeming to invent ever more absurd ways to lose in Europe in recent years — the 6-1 loss against Barcelona in 2017 and last year’s defeat by Manchester United in the last 16 stand out — despite all the investment by the club’s Qatari owners, here they lived up to their billing.

“We wanted to make history and we did it,” Di Maria told French broadcaster RMC Sport. “If we continue the way we played today, that could help us in the final.”

Bayern Munich and Lyon meet in the second semifinal on Wednesday for the right to face PSG in Sunday’s final. Thomas Tuchel’s team are the competition’s first French finalists since Monaco in 2004.

Nine years after Qatar Sports Investments bought a moribund mid-table Ligue 1 team and began turning them into the untouchable force in France, they are now one game away from winning the trophy that really matters to them.

“It is a dream but I hope the dream doesn’t end here tonight,” said PSG’s Qatari president, Nasser Al Khelaifi.

There is little doubt that the context in Lisbon is helping. PSG have only needed to perform for 90 minutes instead of over two legs in the latter stages of this season’s tournament, so badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

They also need not feel the pressure of having to perform in front of their expectant support — glimpse the other way inside Benfica’s cavernous stadium and you really could forget there was a football match being played.

No contest

Then again, in many ways it was not much of a match.

A first ever European semifinal was a step too far for Julian Nagelsmann’s young team, which featured seven outfield players aged between 21 and 24 in the starting line-up and this time could not compensate for the loss of star striker Timo Werner, sold to Chelsea before the “Final Eight” began.

“They were better than us and we have to accept that,” said Nagelsmann.

PSG had seen Neymar hit the post before they went ahead in the 13th minute.

Neymar won a free-kick just outside the box to the left. Di Maria’s wicked delivery was headed home by Marquinhos.

The Brazilian defender, reinvented as a holding midfielder by Tuchel, does not score many but he had already saved PSG against Atalanta with his last-minute equaliser.

Di Maria was making his comeback after suspension. Kylian Mbappe was also fit enough to start for the first time after his recent ankle injury.

Mauro Icardi made way as that duo joined Neymar in a three-man attack. At the other end, Sergio Rico was rarely troubled standing in for injured goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Neymar nearly scored with an audacious attempt from a free-kick, almost catching out Peter Gulacsi when he hit the post from way out on the right flank as everyone expected a cross.

But Gulacsi gifted the French champions their second just before the break. His poor pass out fell to Leandro Paredes, and he returned it into the box and on to Di Maria via an outrageous Neymar flick. Di Maria controlled and slotted home.

It was game over within 10 minutes of the second half starting.

Leipzig thought Nordi Mukiele was fouled in the right-back position but the Dutch referee decided he had merely slipped. As play continued, Di Maria crossed for Bernat to head in. Tuchel, perched on a cool box in his technical area, pumped his fist in celebration.

PSG are now hoping to become just the second French winner of the trophy, 27 years after Marseille won the inaugural Champions League.

LOS ANGELES — A pair of eighth-seeded teams delivered stunning upsets in their play-off openers on Tuesday as the Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic surprised the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Damian Lillard scored 34 points as the Trail Blazers toppled the West’s number one seeded Lakers 100-93 and Nikola Vucevic tallied 35 points as the Magic defeated the East’s top seeded Bucks 122-110 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

“Every time we have played since we have been here, it is like a play-off game,” said Lillard. “So that prepared us for a game like this.”

The last time both NBA top seeds lost their playoff openers was 2003 when the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons stumbled out of the gate.

Game two is on Thursday in Orlando, Florida

Lillard drained several long three-pointers including one with just over three minutes left to break a 89-89 tie. Three-pointers are something he has been working on in practice.

“In the summer when I step away, I try to find ways I can improve my game,” Lillard said. 

“Playing further out was major part what I wanted to add to my game. It is starting to show. I am just reaping the benefits of the work I put in.”

CJ McCollum had 21 points and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic scored 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers, who made 13 of 34 three-pointers. Carmelo Anthony added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

New James mark

Anthony Davis finished with 28 points and 11 boards, while LeBron James had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists for the Lakers, who struggled from beyond the arc making just five of 32 attempts. Kyle Kuzma chipped in 14 points. 

James is the first player in history to record a 20 point, 15 rebound and 15 assist triple double in the postseason.

“We had a lot of wide open looks. The first playoff game so there were a lot of jitters. We have to calm down, take our time. The shots will be there all series,” said Lakers Kuzma.

Gary Trent nailed a clutch three-pointer with 75 seconds left in the fourth to give the Blazers a 98-93 lead. Nurkic then sealed the win with a late dunk.

The Magic got off to a quick start to seize a double-digit lead then blunted a second-half rally by the Bucks, who boast the league’s top player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

‘We focus on ourselves’

Orlando came into the series as big underdogs against the NBA’s best all-around team.

“We don’t care what other people have to say,” Vucevic said. “We focus on ourselves and we came out and played a great game on both ends of the floor.”

Vucevic, of Montenegro, also had 14 rebounds and four assists. Terrence Ross finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while DJ Augustin added 11 points and 11 assists for Orlando, who shot 49 per cent from the field and made 16 baskets from beyond the arc.

“You have to really be ready for what they do,” Vucevic said. 

“We have to make sure we know their stuff and we are prepared for everything. Tonight, we definitely were on top of that. We did a good job executing the game plan.”

Reigning league MVP Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.

Milwaukee closed the gap to 62-52 at the half, then began the third quarter on a 16-7 run to cut Orlando’s advantage to one.

The Bucks got within six points, 99-93, on a Brook Lopez basket with 8:13 to play, but Orlando answered with Ross’ driving dunk and Augustin’s three-pointer to push its advantage back to double digits. 

Orlando’s Evan Fournier was held scoreless until hitting three clutch three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help clinch the victory.

In another play-off encounter, James Harden scored 37 points to lift the Houston Rockets to a 123-108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite not having Russell Westbrook for the fifth time in six games, the Rockets offence was sizzling, combining for 76 points in the second and third quarters.

The Miami Heat ran away for a 113-101 win over the Indiana Pacers after Tyler Herro’s jump shot with 8:52 remaining broke a tie.

LISBON — In Houssem Aouar, Lyon have a player who is both a symbol of their success at bringing through gifted young talent and a reason why the French side can hope to pull off another Champions League sensation when they meet Bayern Munich in the semifinals in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Moussa Dembele stole the headlines by scoring the late goals which gave Lyon a shock 3-1 win over Manchester City in the quarter-finals, but Aouar was at the origin of both.

The 22-year-old playmaker supplied the pass for Dembele to put Lyon 2-1 up in the 79th minute at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. Then it was Aouar’s shot which Ederson parried out for Dembele to wrap up the victory.

According to statisticians Opta, only Kylian Mbappe and Riyad Mahrez have given more assists than Aouar since the start of last season in the Champions League.

Yet, his game against City was about much more than that. For all the opposition’s expensive talent, he ran the midfield.

It is little wonder he has been linked with a move to City, while not so long ago it was Barcelona who were reportedly his biggest admirers.

Aouar has been at Lyon since he was a little boy, signing for his hometown team aged 11 and quickly wowing those who brought him through the ranks.

“He was always getting moved up to play with a higher age group because his potential was so great,” his former youth coach, Armand Garrido, told AFP in Lyon.

This may be the year that Aouar, not yet capped at full international level by France, moves on. He has three years left on his contract and his value is sky high.

After Saturday’s game, City coach Pep Guardiola praised Aouar and his midfield colleagues, Bruno Guimaraes, also 22, and 20-year-old Maxence Caqueret, another academy graduate. “They have three exceptional players in the middle,” he said.

Now that trio are preparing for a meeting with a Bayern side who appear on another level to everyone in Europe just now.

After finishing a lowly seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season, Lyon came to Lisbon for the “Final Eight” knowing they had to win the Champions League just to qualify for Europe again next season.

That seems highly unlikely, but before facing City, Aouar made clear that Lyon had not come to Lisbon to make up the numbers. “If we are here, it is because we want to go as far as possible,” he said.

Nevertheless, “OL” are punching above their weight here, having been forced to adapt to a new landscape in France since the Qatari takeover of PSG in 2011.

Champions seven years running between 2002 and 2008, they are no longer the country’s leading force, but the foundations have been laid for Lyon to establish themselves as Ligue 1’s second power.

Their revenue last season of 220.8 million euros ($262m) was only a third of that of Bayern and PSG, but it placed them 17th in the Deloitte Football Money League.

President Jean-Michel Aulas has been there since 1987, overseeing their rise.

In a country where clubs do not usually own their stadiums, Lyon have their own privately-funded, 59,000-seat ground that is among Europe’s best.

And Lyon are no strangers to Champions League success: Their women’s team, featuring the likes of Norwegian superstar Ada Hegerberg, have been European champions six times, including in the last four seasons.