Gone in less than 60 seconds.
It was 59 to be precise, between Raheem Sterling blazing over the bar and Moussa Dembele capitalising on Ederson’s fumble to end Manchester City’s Champions League dream.
Pep Guardiola says the difference at the highest level is all about boxes – and that was certainly the case at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon.
But City’s manager must take his own share of the blame after failing to lead this hugely talented – and hugely costly – collection of players beyond the quarter-finals of club football’s most testing stage at the fourth time of trying.
Regardless of his protestations to the contrary, City may never have a better chance of conquering Europe.
The seventh best team in France stood in their way of a semi final against Bayern Munich. But it is City who will board a flight back to Manchester and stew over how they allowed this one to get away.
Sterling’s late miss will keep him awake at night for years to come.
Ederson likewise after spilling Houssem Aouar’s tame effort.
Those moments can happen in the hustle and bustle of football – but what of Guardiola and his contribution?
Was he too negative in leaving some of his most creative forces on the bench in David Silva, Bernardo, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez?
Did he pay Lyon too much respect in going like-for-like with Rudi Garcia by naming three at the back?
And even as the game was getting away from his team, did he wait too long to bring on his potential matchwinners?
Compare that to Garcia, who responded to Kevin de Bruyne’s 69th-minute equaliser and City’s growing dominance by sending on Moussa Dembele to go and win the match.
For all of City’s failings, the Lyon coach was rewarded for his bravery on the night.
Had Guardiola concentrated on his own side’s strengths then he may well have been the one celebrating.
Instead a 3-1 defeat felt like a hangover from City’s Champions League capitulations of the past.
Even a more restrained performance resulted in another implosion against underdogs.
Lyon join Monaco, Liverpool and Tottenham in upsetting the odds to send City crashing out.
Against each of those opponents, City went in as undisputed favourites.
For so long this match looked like it would lack the drama of those defeats – but an explosive final 11 minutes well and truly blew up in Guardiola’s face.
They were the team in the ascendency after De Bruyne levelled the scores from Maxwell Cornet’s first half opener.
At that point there looked like being only one winner – but as City pressed forward, they took risks at the back.
Aymeric Laporte’s loose pass on the half way line allowed Lyon to pounce.
It was a sucker punch as Dembele raced away and fired past Ederson to restore the lead – even more so as replays showed contact between the striker and Laporte that could have been adjudged a foul.
VAR allowed it to stand – but City still had the chance to get back into the match when Gabriel Jesus crossed to Sterling with the goal gaping with four minutes remaining.
It seemed impossible to miss, but he inexplicably lifted his effort over the bar.
City heads must still have been foggy as Lyon immediately broke down the other end, with Aouar shooting from distance.
It was an easy one for Ederson to collect and mount another attack, but he allowed the ball to spill out of his control and into the path of Dembele to put the game beyond doubt.
As shocking as it was, there was also a sense of inevitability about it.
City and Guardiola seem to fashion new ways to come up short in a competition they so often appear poised to win.
Going into this game knowing Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid had all fallen away, it was impossible for them not to dream about finally clinching the biggest club prize of all.
Yet if Guardiola was guilty of anything it was overthinking his opponents on the night.
Playing with three at the back to match Garcia, it was a system that was effective in taking more away from his own team than their opponents.
Without the Silvas and Foden City were robbed of too many of their creative influences.
They still had their chief orchestrator in De Bruyne, but it felt like Guardiola favoured physicality over finesse against an aggressive and energetic Lyon.
It saw them create precious little in the first half – falling behind to Cornet’s goal after 24 minutes.
They began to dominate after half time when Mahrez’ introduction finally gave them more of an attacking threat – and when De Bruyne struck they looked well-placed to go on and complete the comeback.
That was before Garcia made a change of his own, with Dembele proving the matchwinner and leaving Guardiola to dissect another Champions League failure.