French Clubs' Champions League Debuts: From Auxerre to Stade Brestois

With Stade Brestois 29 winning their second match in the Champions League, we take a look back at the careers of the French clubs who made their Champions League debuts after the 1992 reform.

Stade Brestois 29 got off to a flying start in Europe's most prestigious club competition with two opening wins over Sturm Graz (2-1) and Salzburg (0-4). 
Since the 1992 reform and the switch from the Champions Clubs' Cup to the Champions League, six French clubs, like SB29, have taken their first steps in the Champions League. Here's a look back at some of those firsts, some of which have included some remarkable feats.

Auxerre, a debut full of panache

Ligue 1 champions and French Cup winners in 1996, Guy Roux's AJ Auxerre lost Laurent Blanc, Corentin Martins and Christophe Cocard during the off-season but managed to attract Antoine Sibierski and Steve Marlet from Red Star FC. AJA started their first Champions League campaign in 1996/97 in a fairly tough Group A. Ajax, group favourites after winning the competition in 1995, were the scarecrows, while Glasgow Rangers were another regular. Two-time defending champions Grasshopper Zurich will be representing Switzerland.

Despite the competition, the Icaunians were flying the flag for France by finishing top of their group, level on 12 points with Ajax. After an opening home defeat to the Dutch (0-1), Auxerre responded immediately with a 1-2 win at Ibrox Park, thanks to a brace from the unknown Thomas Deniaud. After a historic victory in Amsterdam in November (1-2) thanks to Bernard Diomède and Steve Marlet, they finished the job at home against Rangers (2-1, goals from Laslandes and Marlet) and qualified for the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately, that was as far as they got, losing twice to eventual winners Borussia Dortmund (1-3, 0-1). Ironically, it was the Germans who had already shattered their European dream four years earlier, in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

Olympique Lyonnais: The first of many

One year after their terrible setback in the preliminary round against Maribor, Olympique Lyonnais, third in the last championship, finally made it through the qualifying round (against Bratislava) and reached their first Champions League group stage in 2000/01. It was the first of many, with Les Gones eventually taking part in 12 consecutive Champions Leagues between 2000 and 2011.

In the first group stage, Lyon were drawn with Valencia (finalists in 2000 and 2001), Olympiakos and Heerenveen in Pool C. They got off to a strong start at home against the Dutch (3-1), but then followed that up with 3 defeats. With their backs against the wall, Les Olympiens beat Heerenveen again (0-2), then Olympiakos (1-0) thanks to a Pierre Laigle goal, and qualified for the second group stage with 9 points.

In the next round, the Gones face an entirely different set of opponents in the shape of eventual winners Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Spartak Moscow. Lyon achieved their first ever victory in the Champions League in March 2001, beating Bayern 3-0 at Gerland thanks to a brace from Sidney Govou (21 at the time). Despite this resounding success, Les Gones narrowly missed out on qualification after a 1-1 draw in Moscow in their final group game. They finish third, level on points with Thierry Henry's Arsenal but behind the Londoners on goal difference. It's only a temporary setback for Lyon, who will be making their mark in the Champions League for many seasons to come.

Four clubs out of six  didn't make it out the group stage

For the other four newcomers from McDonald's Ligue 1, the adventure ended at the end of the group stage, but with a few feats of strength.
French champions in 1998, ‘Druid’ Daniel Leclercq's RC Lens were drawn in Pool E with Arsenal, Dynamo Kiev and Panathinaikos in 1998/99. In their first match in the Champions League, the Sang et Or hosted the Gunners and drew well thanks to Tony Vairelles (1-1). Their first success in the competition came against the Londoners, but in the second leg. At Wembley, where the match had been relocated, Les Artésiens won 1-0 thanks to a memorable goal from Mickaël Debève. Unfortunately, that was not enough for RCL, who finished as one of the worst second-placed teams on 8 points, ahead of Arsenal (3rd) but behind Andrei Shevchenko and Sergei Rebrov's Dynamo Kiev.

Neighbours of Lens, LOSC made their C1 debut three years later, in the 2001/02 season. Led by Vahid Halilhodzic, Les Dogues had just finished a superb third in Ligue 1 after climbing from Ligue 2. They began their European campaign with a real exploit in the preliminary round, winning 0-2 at Parma thanks to Salaheddine Bassir and Johnny Ecker. Despite losing the second leg at home (0-1), they went through to the group stage. Against Manchester United, Deportivo La Coruna and Olympiakos, Lille remained unbeaten at home (at the Bollaert stadium) with 1 win against the Greeks and 2 draws against the English and Spanish, but finished third in their group with 6 points. As a result, they have been relegated to the UEFA Cup.

Montpellier Hérault SC (2012/13) and Stade Rennais F.C. (2020/21) both had more complicated debuts in the competition. In a group containing Schalke 04, Arsenal and Olympiakos, the Hérault outfit were unable to avoid last place, picking up just 2 points against the Germans. Les Bretons finished in the same position (1 point) eight years later, in a tough group containing Chelsea, Sevilla and Krasnodar.