Football
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Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim laments harsh result against Lyon

Nebil Fekir was glad to give a boost to Lyon coach Bruno Genesio after his stoppage-time free kick downed Monaco, while the Ligue 1 champions' boss Leonardo Jardim felt his team suffered a harsh result.

Fekir had already scored once as an entertaining encounter edged towards a 2-2 draw in its final seconds at the Groupama Stadium.

The clock was tipping 95 minutes when he stepped up to take a final free kick, sweeping into the bottom corner from 25 yards for a dramatic victory.

For Monaco that means an major setback in their pursuit of pace-setters Paris St Germain, but for the home side it was a much-needed shot in the arm for Genesio, who has had to publicly reject reports he has come under boardroom pressure over his team selections.

Fekir told Canal+: "Bruno is a good person, he does not deserve everything we hear about him. I'm happy for him and for the staff.

"It's a big performance, I'm happy for the team.''

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas also spoke to Canal+ after the match and he too was keen to show unity behind Genesio.

"I am very happy of course with the three points but also because it answers the questions that everyone asks,'' he said.

"Sometimes it's hard to explain things in a virtual way, when you can demonstrate them in the game. I'm very happy for Bruno, he showed that he had the skills to lead the group where we wanted it to be.

"It's important for the club and if the coach is happy, all the better.''

Fekir refused to take credit for his match-settling contribution, adding: "I was lucky on the free-kick. Joel Bats (Lyon's goalkeeping coach) told me that the keeper anticipated, and that it was necessary to go past the wall. I followed the advice and it worked.''

Monaco boss Jardim felt the result was harsh on his side, but was encouraged by the performances of some of the young players he selected.

"It was a very even match,'' he said in comments reported by L'Equipe. "We had defensive difficulties in the first half but after the break we managed the game better.

"We had good opportunities to go 3-2 up ourselves but then we get a free kick against us at the end. A draw would have been a fairer result.

"There were some good signs. We have seen our young players, like Adama Traore, Rony Lopes, Keita Balde, they played very well. This is important for the present and the future.''

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