Lyon and Ajax in bore draw

With both sides looking stifled by the importance of the situation, the result means that Lyon must beat Dinamo Zagreb on the final day and hope that Real Madrid get a result against Ajax.

It was Lyon who carved out the first and arguably only decent chance of a tepid first half, Lisandro finding room to curl a shot towards Kenneth Vermeer's far post, only for the keeper to beat it away.

From then followed a lengthy period of possession from Ajax, Theo Janssen flashing a shot wide after patient build-up play.

Lyon responded with half-chances for Anthony Réveillère, Bafetimbi Gomis and Jimmy Briand but Vermeer's goal was never seriously threatened before half-time.

Michel Bastos worked hard to give Lyon an attacking edge but Ajax skipper Jan Vertonghen, supposedly an Arsenal target, quelled much of Lyon's threats.

If the first half lacked urgency, there was a noticeable change in tempo at the start of the second.

Christian Eriksen, who starred in the home win against Dinamo, played in Miralem Sulejmani whose toe-poke towards the far corner was well saved by Hugo Lloris. Minutes later, Sulejmani was in the action again, his shot deflecting off Cris and just over the Lyon bar.

For the visitors, that was about as good as it got and a frantic final few minutes saw them lucky to escape with the draw. Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson waved away a viable penalty shout when substitute Ederson collapsed under Eyong Enoh's challenge, the ball falling to Yoann Gourcuff who thundered his drive inches wide when he really should have done better.

And with the clock showing 90 minutes, Ajax had Vermeer to thank for keeping them in it with a brilliant reaction save to palm Alexandre Lacazette's shot over the bar.

If Lyon had shown the same urgency earlier in the game, they may have been rewarded with the desired result. As it is, they must go to Zagreb and get a result and hope that Real Madrid's ominous form continues in Amsterdam.