Lyon coach Garcia sets ‘no limits’ for his side after Man City success

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 game after Kevin De Bruyne’s goal had cancelled out Maxwel Cornet’s opener.

Their victory against much-fancied City comes after they ousted Italian champions Juventus on away goals in the previous round. But they will now have to see off an ominous Bayern team on Wednesday if they are to make the final.

“We know who we are coming up 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 exactly the same, but on the basis of what the players have shown logically we can still hope to get through another round and that is what we are going to prepare to try to do.”

Lyon finished seventh in the curtailed French season, a desperately poor showing from France’s second-richest club meaning they have to now win the Champions League just to qualify for Europe again in the new campaign.

They have appeared in continental competition in each of the last 23 seasons, but they have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the Champions League.

That has happened just once before, when they lost to Bayern in the last four in 2010.

“Confidence is growing within the squad, but we will be outsiders and once again it will need an exploit from us to go through,” said Garcia.

“When you are in the last four we can say that we deserve to be there and if we get to the final we really will deserve it.”

The former Lille, Roma and Marseille coach was appointed last October and has never won over Lyon supporters, but this result can only have improved his standing.

“I do this job to experience these moments but they are very rare in a career,” he said.

“Tonight is magnificent but it doesn’t give us anything, there is no title or place in Europe. Now we need to recuperate, savour this and let it sink in.”