Lyon kicked off their European campaign with a statement win, snatching all three points on the road in Brussels thanks to clutch goals from Noah Nartey and Keito Nakamura. Les Gones traveled to face Anderlecht in their UEFA Europa League Matchday 1 clash on September 16, 2026, and they wasted no time letting everyone know they came to play. A tight 2-1 victory puts them in prime position as they start their league phase journey.
Les Gones Came Out Firing, Literally
Lyon came out absolutely flying against Anderlecht, making sure everyone knew they meant business right from the jump. Ouedraogo almost opened the scoring early, forcing a strong stop from Coosemans with a header from a free kick. But the Belgian side could only hold out for eight minutes. Noah Nartey, the Danish midfielder, found himself with prime real estate on the edge of the area and uncorked a shot. It threaded the needle right through an Anderlecht defender’s legs, leaving the goalkeeper unsighted, and slammed into the bottom corner. What a start!
Boudache had an effort stopped after some brilliant dribbling from Nakamura, showing that Lyon was creating chances. Anderlecht’s Maamar had their most dangerous opportunity in the opening 20, but couldn’t put it on target. It wasn’t long before Lyon doubled their lead, with Nakamura capping off his bright start with a goal of his own. The Japanese international forward did well to find space, cut inside, and then found the back of the net via a fortunate deflection. Coosemans had absolutely no chance. Descamps then did well to deny Cvetkovic who burst through on goal, charging off his line to thwart the Anderlecht forward and keep Lyon’s two-goal lead intact heading into the break.
A Nail-Biter to Finish It
That two-goal cushion felt great heading into halftime, but Anderlecht came out swinging in the second half, making it a real nail-biter. Openda had a golden chance to put the game to bed after Nakamura found him, but he could only clatter it off the post. Morton thought he had redeemed his teammate by turning in the rebound, but the goal was quickly disallowed for offside. Oof.
Despite Lyon’s opportunities, it was Anderlecht who finally got on the board. Niakhaté played a loose pass to Maamar, who found Cvetković unmarked in the box to head home and cut the deficit in half. With that goal, the Jupiler Pro League outfit finally found their rhythm and started to threaten Lyon’s goal relentlessly. Les Gones were forced to contain pressure and hope for counter-attacking chances in the final 20 minutes. Bentayeb unleashed a terrific effort from distance, forcing Descamps to make a full-stretch save to keep Lyon in front. The tension cranked up even higher when Anderlecht thought they had a penalty after Mata pushed Cvetković over in the box. An altercation off the ball prompted a VAR check, but after review, the Lyon defender could breathe a sigh of relief as the referee waved play on. Lyon held on by a thread, but secure they did.
Lyon now has three crucial points in the bag from Matchday 1, a perfect way to ignite their European hopes. What a fight! This winning start sets the tone, and now they just need to build on it in the next fixture.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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