Nantes dominated the first half as they were roared on by a particularly raucous crowd, but the visitors managed to keep the score level thanks to a solid defensive effort. So too were they particularly indebted to an outstanding save from Anthony Lopes, when he thwarted Jean-Charles Castelletto’s fierce volley.
Yet, the hosts did have the ball in the back of the net just after the half-hour mark through Samuel Moutoussam but the goal was ruled out after some initial confusion. Lopes had made another great save after a short back pass before the offside midfielder finished coolly and saw his celebrations cut short.
Lyon continued to look timid after the break, but Nantes passed up several openings as they failed to break the visitors down. A moment of magic was needed to break the deadlock, and it finally came from Blas just before the hour mark.
The winger somehow managed to cushion the ball with his chest and spin a defender in one motion, before unleashing a marvellous volley to spark jubilant scenes amongst a home support that was now reaching fever pitch.
The visitors struggled to create anything from open play in response, with Maxence Caqueret and Alexandre Lacazette both failing to test Nantes goalkeeper Remy Descamps, as they wasted free kicks from the edge of the box.
In fact, the closest Lyon went to levelling the tie came in the dying moments, as neat footwork from Bradley Barcola created space in the box, but a colossal defensive performance from the home side was capped off with a heroic block.
Having held out against a somewhat feeble Lyon backlash, Nantes will touch down at the Stade de France once again on April 29, where either Toulouse or second-tier Annecy await.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ludovic Blas (Nantes)
