Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sages has urged his team to swiftly move on after a narrow 3-2 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League.
In their first away match in European competition, the Londoners found themselves two goals down at half-time. However, after the break, goals from Yeremi Pino and Daichi Kamada reignited the Eagles' hopes. Unfortunately for Palace, a clever back-heel from Pawel Schulz ensured Lyon took the win, ending their three-match unbeaten run.
Sages acknowledged that the team’s poor performance in the first half made their task far more difficult.
“This match had two completely different halves. In the first half, we were virtually non-existent on the pitch. In the second half, we played much closer to what people expect from us.
We can be disappointed with the result, but we must also be unhappy with the first half. When you go two goals down, it becomes incredibly challenging to come back,” the coach stated.
The French manager stressed that his team cannot accept such levels of performance and must learn from this experience.
“We go onto the pitch to win. But if the team fails to perform in the first half, I have to be dissatisfied with that.
We cannot accept this. It’s crucial to draw conclusions today. We lacked grit, struggled with several tactical issues, and didn’t press as actively as we should have with the ball.
If we want to be competitive, improvements in these areas are essential,” Sages added.
Despite a more convincing display after the break, Crystal Palace were unable to turn the tide of the match. Now, faced with the task of rectifying their mistakes, Sages will be hoping the second-half performance in Lyon can serve as a catalyst for better results moving forward.
