Lyon coach Garcia sets 'no limits' for his side after Man City success
Lyon coach Rudi Garcia said his side were "not setting any limits" after their beautiful win over Manchester City on Saturday setup an unlikely Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.
The French team defeated Pep Guardiola's men 3-1 in the 'Final Eight' in Lisbon with a late brace from substitute Moussa Dembele deciding the overall game after Kevin De Bruyne's goal had cancelled out Maxwel Cornet's opener.
Their victory against much-fancied City employs they ousted Italian champions Juventus on away goals in the last round. However they will will have to see off an ominous Bayern team on Wednesday if they're to help make the final.
"We realize who we are approaching against next," said Garcia.
"We eliminated a Juventus side who were one of the contenders to win the Champions League, and a Manchester City side who were contenders to win the Champions League.
"Bayern will be precisely the same, but based on what the players have shown logically we are able to still hope to complete another round and that's what we are going to prepare to attempt to do."
Lyon finished seventh in the curtailed French season, a desperately poor showing from France's second-richest club meaning they must now win the Champions League merely to qualify for Europe again in the brand new campaign.
They have appeared in continental competition in each one of the last 23 seasons, nonetheless they haven't gone beyond the semi-finals of the Champions League.
That has happened just once before, if they lost to Bayern in the last four this year 2010.
"Confidence keeps growing within the squad, but we will be outsiders and once again it will need an exploit from us to undergo," said Garcia.
"When you are in the last four we can say that we deserve to be there and if we reach the ultimate we really will deserve it."
The former Lille, Roma and Marseille coach was appointed last October and hasn't won over Lyon supporters, but this result can only have improved his standing.
"I really do this job to see these moments however they are incredibly rare in a career," he said.
"Tonight is magnificent nonetheless it doesn't give us anything, there is no title or place in Europe. Now we have to recuperate, savour this and allow it sink in."
