Moussa Niakhate: Lyon stands with defender despite penalty miss

Senegal defender Moussa Niakhate has received support from Olympique Lyonnais despite missing a penalty during their French Cup quarterfinal fixture against RC Lens at Groupama Stadium on Thursday.

The last eight fixture went into penalties following a 2-2 outcome. During the penalty shoot outs, Niakhate missed his effort but Lyon went on to win 4-2 on penalties and reach the semifinals.

While he had a generally decent game, the former Nottingham Forest player was thwarted by Robin Risser, the Lens goalkeeper, precipitating the elimination of Les Gones, who had just suffered two consecutive defeats in Ligue 1.

Moussa Niakhate played a great match

“I’m very disappointed for Moussa. We’re happy to have won, but when you see the player, he is, the guy he is, I feel for him,” said Lyon Director Matthieu Louis-Jean as quoted by WiwiSport.

“When you see the guy he is, I’m very sad for him. Moussa played a great match today. He’s having a fantastic season. It’s a bit of a lottery with penalties. Sometimes you miss, that’s just how it is.”

He continued: “Of course it’s frustrating. Once again, Moussa had a great game and a great season. I’m very proud of Moussa and his level of play. As I told you, it happens to all players to miss penalties. It’s part of a penalty shootout.”

Moussa showed us the way

Lyon captain Corentin Tolisso supported the director’s sentiments by saying: “Moussa had an extraordinary game. He was incredible. He led the team. Everything started with him; he won all his duels. He showed us the way.”

He added: “If we were able to equalise, it’s also thanks to Moussa. He missed, but it’s not a big deal. We’re not going to question everything over a penalty. He made his choice, and the goalkeeper made a great save.

“I’ll remember that the fans chanted his name. I think that’s a good thing.”

Niakhate joined Lyon in 2024 from Forest and became the second most expensive player in the club’s history, behind Orel Mangala. After a first season of adaptation, he established himself as a key figure in Lyon’s central defense during the 2025-26 season.