Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage was unable to celebrate his return to Lyon after his side were beaten 3-2 by the French club on home soil.
The result allowed Lyon to remain inside the Europa League’s top five, while Palace were left to reflect on a difficult evening despite making the contest close on the scoreboard.
Sage felt his team were well below their usual standard during the opening half. Although Palace improved significantly after the interval and gave themselves a chance of recovering, conceding Lyon’s third goal made the task considerably more difficult.
The Palace boss believed his players’ second-half efforts warranted an equaliser. However, he also acknowledged that a victory would have been an overly generous reward because his side performed at their normal level for only one half of the match.
Speaking after the game, in comments relayed by Sky Sports, Sage made clear that the personal significance of returning to Lyon could not outweigh the disappointment of defeat. Seeing familiar faces and being back in his former surroundings offered little comfort with the result going against Palace.
