San Siro to zero for France

Olympique Lyonnais's 3-1 UEFA Champions League quarter-final defeat at AC Milan on Tuesday brought the curtain down on an eventful European season for French clubs.

Exciting moments
AS Saint-Etienne's 1-1 UEFA Intertoto Cup draw against Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax FC on 2 July 2005 marked the start of a busy campaign for Ligue 1's finest. The 66 games played by French sides in UEFA competition this season may not have led to a major trophy, but there have been some exciting moments. The final act proved to be a painful one. Lyon were within two minutes of a place in the semi-finals before the Rossoneri struck two late goals. For the 9,000 Lyon fans at the San Siro, and the majority of the ten million television viewers in France, they were devastating moments.

Commentator's lapse
France's top radio commentator, Eugène Saccomano, was certainly not the only one to let out a string of swear words as Filippo Inzaghi put Milan ahead after 88 minutes and ended Lyon's dreams of being the first side to lift the 'trophy with the big ears' on home soil since BV Borussia Dortmund in 1997. "It's extremely disappointing," said Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas. "For the third time we fail at the same stage. Everyone believed we could go though." Goalkeeper Grégory Coupet added: "It's another lesson. We committed suicide a bit at the end and were guilty of a lapse when we were close to qualifying."

Bold endeavour
Whether this season's disappointment was harder to bear than last season, when a penalty shoot-out defeat against PSV Eindhoven marked the end of their run, remains to be seen. However, it has certainly been a season of bold endeavour for France's European representatives. Having missed out on a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 defeat in their final Group D game against Villarreal CF, LOSC Lille Métropole were one of five French sides to make it to the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup.

Intertoto winners
RC Lens, one of the three winners of last summer's UEFA Intertoto Cup, were the first to fall, bowing out against Udinese Calcio in the Round of 32, while the remaining contenders - Lille, Olympique de Marseille and RC Strasbourg - were all knocked out in the next round. Marseille lost 2-1 on aggregate against FC Zenit St. Petersburg, Lille fell by the same margin to Sevilla FC, and Strasbourg - who bravely battled on for nine games in Europe despite a relegation-haunted season in Ligue 1 - were beaten 4-2 by FC Basel 1893.

'You want more'
Ironically, Jacky Duguépéroux's side had saved Basel from elimination at the group stage by coming from behind to find an added-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw against FK Crvena Zvezda. However, the coach was not disheartened by the exit. "When you taste this kind of competition, you want more," he said. Already, next season's French contenders are getting ready. Lyon and FC Girondins de Bordeaux are on target for the UEFA Champions League group stage, and no doubt hope to land a first major European success for a French club since Paris Saint Germain FC won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup a decade ago.

'A demanding place'
"Europe is a demanding place which requires higher levels of focus and dedication," said Lille coach Claude Puel, whose side played their UEFA Champions League game against SL Benfica in front of a French record 76,000 crowd at the Stade de France. "But it gives you the chance to do wonderful things."