Lyon boss Remi Garde said the only thing on his mind during the 3-2 Europa League win over Athletic Bilbao was claiming the points.
Alexandre Lacazette got the winner after the Basques had pulled back a two-goal deficit, but Garde maintained he was always certain his players could get their noses back in front.
“In principal we came with the intention of getting at least something and I had faith in my players that they could win,” he told assembled media.
“We began better than Athletic but after they equalised they made things difficult for us.
“However, we were sure we could still win and a great part of that was down to the defensive work we put in.”
The former Arsenal player said he was certain the result would have a positive effect on his team in the Europa League, having now qualified mathematically for the next round, but does not consider Lyon favourites for the competition.
“You have to separate the good performance we gave in Bilbao with the tag of favourites.
“It’s a good start but there is still a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do.”
