Tolisso on target as Lyon cruise past Metz
Olympique Lyonnais won their second straight Ligue 1 McDonald's match, beating FC Metz 3-0 at home, a result that sees them edge ahead of PSG on goal difference.
A sparkling start
After a gut-wrenching home defeat in their derby against RC Strasbourg last weekend, FC Metz were back in action on the road in Lyon. Les Grenats would hope to get one over on a Lyon side who had been opportunistic rather than impressive in their opening match, having edged Lens 1-0. Manager Paulo Fonseca made just one change to his eleven, deploying Pavel Sulc on the right flank, while his counterpart Stéphane Le Mignan had to do without Jesse Deminguet and Cheikh Sabaly.
From the off, Lyon were the stronger side, and had a big chance just six minutes into the match, as some fine interplay among Tolisso, Malick Fofana and Georges Mikautadze saw the Georgian force Jonathan Fischer into a fine save. Rémy Descamps -- keeping his place ahead of new signing Dominik Grief -- then did well to keep out an effort by Wolves loanee Boubacar Traoré. Midway through the first half, though, the inclusion of Sulc would prove decisive as he set up Malick Fofana for the opener. Continuing to show good ball movement, Tyler Morton then was the catalyst in Lyon's second, sending a long ball to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, whose low ball across goal was met by Tolisso, doubling the lead into halftime.
Malick Fofana’s breakout season 🇧🇪💎 pic.twitter.com/VWASMQA4uy
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 23, 2025
Gones in cruise control
In the second half, it was more of the same from Lyon, with their patience forcing Metz to increasingly play on the front foot. Eager to give his young charges playing time in a match which they were handily controlling, Fonseca brought on teenage academy product Khalis Merah and summer signing Adam Karabec with fifteen minutes to play. The latter would make an immediate impact as Tanner Tessmann was unlucky to hit the bar with a header, but Karabec snuck it to seal the final result, 3-0.
Speaking post-match, Karabec reflected on the result, saying that this would be the start of something good: "I feel great, I couldn't imagine a better start. I wanted to play a little more than in the last game, and I was lucky enough to score. I'm very happy about it and I think it will help me for the future." Next up for Lyon as they try to maintain their perfect start is a match against Marseille, while Metz will take on Paris FC in a battle of promoted sides.
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