Lyon coach Bruno Genesio believes his side proved they can compete with Europe's best despite Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Sevilla seeing them eliminated from the Champions League.
The Ligue 1 side needed to win by two or more goals in their final Group H outing if they were to pip Sevilla to second spot behind Juventus, but the Spaniards' solid defence combined with a bit of luck ultimately saw the match end goalless.
Lyon were the dominant force throughout and hit the frame of the goal twice in the first half, but that intensity wore off after the break and Sevilla – who won the Europa League in each of the last three seasons – held firm to secure their passage.
Genesio told beIN Sports: "We have players of a technical profile, but not necessarily those who can test the goal with the head.
"We should have been playing in the gaps more or made more crosses. We did well in the first period, but we didn't do enough in the second.
"I'm proud of the performance of the players. We pushed this team that has won the Europa League three times. This is not a small team.
"We will now focus on Ligue 1 until the end of the season and then will play this competition thoroughly. We showed that we were able to compete with one of the best teams in Europe."
The result meant Lyon finish third in the group and will enter the Europa League in 2017.
