Champions League: ‘We could’ve done better,’ Lyon’s Karl Toko Ekambi rues missed chances after defeat to Bayern Munich – Sports News , Firstpost

Lisbon: Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi said he didn’t think Bayern Munich were “unbeatable” in the Champions League despite Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the German side in the semi-finals in Lisbon.

The Cameroon international missed two clear-cut chances, notably hitting the post just moments before Serge Gnabry scored the opening goal at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

“We could’ve done better, we could’ve scored goals – me the first one,” Toko Ekambi told French broadcaster RMC Sport.

“It didn’t go our way tonight, we missed some chances and we were up against a great goalkeeper.”

Five-time European champions Bayern, who will face Paris Saint-Germain in the final, have won their last 20 matches and are unbeaten in 29 outings, a run that began last December.

“I don’t think they’re unbeatable,” said Toko Ekambi. “We knew they were a great side before the game and we knew we had to play out of our skins to win this match but we weren’t able to do it.”

“Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t,” he added. “Tonight we didn’t do the things we needed to win the match.”

Lyon coach Rudi Garcia said he felt it was a “really harsh scoreline” but accepted his team’s lack of killer touch was their undoing, ending a surprise run that had accounted for Juventus and Manchester City.

“Even if we can be proud of our run and our match today, it’s disappointment first and foremost,” said Garcia.

“We really wanted to be in the final, we believed in it and I think we were right to, the match demonstrated that. Leading 1-0 would’ve have been different or getting back to 2-1, even. I think they’re happy to have beaten us, even if they were strong favourites.”

Garcia also highlighted the wasted early chances for Memphis Depay and Toko Ekambi that could have dramatically changed the game.

“We lacked success at the start of the match because we had the two biggest chances. We should’ve been ahead but found ourselves behind through a bit of genius from Gnabry,” he added.

“There was a feeling of injustice which weighed on us a bit, we conceded a second goal after giving the ball away and at 2-0 it becomes very difficult.”