Fournier gutted by late penalty miss

Lyon coach Hubert Fournier could not hide his disappointment as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by nine-man Gent in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, a game that saw Alexandre Lacazette miss a late penalty.

The striker's effort from the spot was parried away by Matz Sels with two minutes to go, an incident that led to Thomas Foket becoming the second Gent player to be given his marching orders after Brecht Dejaegere saw red just before half-time.

"It's disappointing to finish on a missed penalty," said Fournier. "We were shaken by the passion of Gent and they began with a lot of desire.

"The numerical superiority should have seen us win that game. We should at least have kept it at 0-1. 

"But we considered stupid goal and this penalty, fate plays a dirty trick on us."

The spot-kick miss compounded a poor evening from Lacazette, who is yet to open his account this season and Fournier admits the performance could affect the Frenchman's confidence, but conceded that Gent deserved credit for their performance.

"Time will tell if that penalty miss by Lacazette will weigh on the confidence of the player," he added. "We have not been able to take our chances during the second period. It is a regret but also credits Gent."