That third goal from Duncan was the final nail in the coffin for Unique FC.
They tried really hard after that goal to get back into the game but despite everything Norman planned for the second half, their opponents just had them figured out.
Every counterattack they tried to pull off failed and the same could be said for the chances they managed to get.
Despite being tightly marked, Mateo was able to get a couple of okay chances but they just weren't his type of chances, and with all the pressure and marking he ended up missing them.
Dave also tried a couple of things from his goalpost but Lyon's goalkeeper made sure to stay in his goal line whenever the ball was sent back to the goalkeeper or whenever he had the ball.
During this period, Lyon could have gotten one or two more goals but Unique FC's defense got tougher for them after that third goal and even when they managed to slip through the cracks, Dave was there to make sure.
The match dragged on until the ninetieth minute and that was when everyone concluded that this was a loss for Unique FC.
The last person to touch the ball was Mateo, he received it from Mateo during the sixth minute of added time, and from twenty-five yards out, he fired the ball straight toward the goalpost.
He fired the ball toward the top right side and the goalkeeper was glued to a spot as the ball ended up hitting the crossbar before flying over for a goal kick.
"Oh, my, that was so close!"
With the ball out of play, the referee decided to blow his whistle.
The moment the first high-pitched sound pierced through the air, Minino turned and began to make his way toward the tunnel.
"Looks like it's all over here at the Groupama Stadium, the Olympique Lyonnais fans are delighted as their team just ran away with a three-one victory. The Unique fans and supporters from all over the world are definitely disappointed but all hope isn't lost yet, Lyon will be traveling to Bilbeth for the second leg and that's where the score will be settled or not." Jim articulated.
"After making it out of the group stage unbeaten, Unique has finally taken their first loss of the Europa Conference League and their second loss of the season overall." Steve disclosed. "They played pretty well today but Lyon was just the better team in almost every department.
Another interesting thing about this match is that this is the first time that Dave Richards is conceding three goals in a match this season."
"Yeah, that's true, he was good in between the sticks just like always and even tried those bizarre shots of his but I guess all that couldn't suffice today."
Duncan was announced as the man of the match at the end of the game which was pretty well deserved because the midfielder really caused a lot of problems for Unique FC and was the key to breaking their defensive line most of the time.
While players like Minino, Aima, and even Ferran stormed down the tunnel as soon as the game was over, Dave alongside Mateo, Roland, Adolf, and their other teammates had to stay behind to greet the fans first.
They may have lost the match today but that wasn't enough to discredit the fact that the fans were there to give them their support and they did it as loud as they could.
They were the ones who failed to give them what they came for but at this moment, it wasn't really that much of a big deal because they weren't out of the competition yet.
They still had the second leg coming up, their chance to redeem themselves.
Despite the loss, most of the fans seemed cheerful and were even trying to cheer them up because they understood how they were feeling now.
"After a smooth sailing group stage, we've finally hit a rock," Dave muttered as he made his way toward the tunnel alongside Mateo.
"Yeah, we hit a big rock today." The winger remarked. "But then again, it's just a rock, we can always find a way around it, and smashing through it is always an option."
After hearing him say that, Dave couldn't help but smile.
"Huh? What's wrong?" The winger asked with a confused expression on his face.
"Nothing," Dave replied before shaking his head. "It's just that unlike me, you always find a way to be optimistic about every situation."
"Oh, but you know that's not entirely true."
"There have been situations in the past where I just crumbled and lost sight of myself."
"That's okay, nobody's perfect and besides that was in the past, I used to be way worse if you can recall." The goalkeeper replied.
"Are you sure you want to talk about that?"
"No, not really." He sighed before shaking his head.
[ System is back online ]
[ System deactivated ]
'Oh, just stay deactivated stupid system.'
'Huh? Why didn't you mention that earlier?'
'Yeah, you're right but just keep it deactivated for now.'
The two were about to start heading down the tunnel when they heard that call from behind and they didn't hesitate to quickly turn around to find a blonde-haired lady with a Bob cut and a microphone in her hand.
"Oh, hello, Miss journalist."
"It's Miriam." She corrected with a smile.
"Can I get your opinion on a few questions, please?" She requested.
"Um…sure, I don't see why not." He shrugged.
"It looks like I'll have to head down alone, see you later," Mateo said before he began to head down.
"Sure, see you later."
"Follow me, please." The reporter said before she began to make her way to the cameras.
'I guess she was being cautious because we lost the match.'
'It's a good thing he stormed down just as the match ended but he would have just ignored her.'
The goalkeeper was in front of the camera now and Miriam didn't hesitate to throw the first question at him.
"So, Dave, you guys just suffered your first loss of the competition today, I'm sure it must be tough because I think you guys gave it your all. The second leg will be coming up soon in your home and you guys have a goal deficit to cover, do you think you guys have what it takes to pull it off and move to the next round of the competition?"
The goalkeeper already had an answer prepared in his mind before she could finish asking that question but on second thought, he decided to try a different approach.
"Of course, they were tough for us to handle today, that's a fact but things will be different when they come to Bilbeth, it's going to be another tough match but we'll make sure to return the favor because tough rocks can also be smashed into pieces."