Šulc strikes late as Lyon down ten-man Marseille in the Olympico

Olympique Lyonnais left it late but earned sweet revenge in the Olympico, edging past ten-man Olympique de Marseille 1-0 at the Groupama Stadium on Saturday evening. Pavel Šulc’s scrappy 85th-minute finish proved decisive as Paulo Fonseca's men made it three wins from three at the start of the Ligue 1 McDonald’s season – all without conceding a goal.

Marseille began the brighter, enjoying long spells of possession in the opening exchanges, with Hamad Junior Traoré the most lively presence in the final third. Yet despite their early dominance, the visitors struggled to create clear openings against Lyon’s compact defensive block.

When Lyon did break forward, they immediately looked dangerous. Gerónimo Rulli denied Abner with a sharp reflex stop in the 14th minute after a cutback from Malick Fofana, before the Brazilian full-back went down inside the area moments later – only for VAR to correctly overturn François Letexier’s penalty award after replays showed a clear dive.

Fofana thought he had turned provider again as OL bundled the ball into the net midway through the first half, but the assistant’s flag cut celebrations short for a marginal offside.

Egan-Riley red changes the contest

The game swung dramatically on the half-hour mark when CJ Egan-Riley saw red for a late challenge on Fofana, leaving Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille to navigate the remainder with ten men. Lyon pressed their advantage before the break, Rulli producing several fine saves to frustrate the hosts, while another OL goal was chalked off for a foul in the build-up.

With numerical superiority, Lyon dominated possession after the interval but lacked composure in front of goal. Marseille, meanwhile, still threatened on the break. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang burst clear on the hour and set up Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, whose low strike forced a smart save from Rémy Descamps.

At the other end, Tanner Tessmann headed narrowly wide, while Ulisses Garcia and Hamad Traoré combined to trouble the OL defence. Despite their disadvantage, OM showed flashes of danger, keeping the Olympico finely balanced heading into the closing stages.

Šulc delivers decisive blow

Just when frustration seemed to be mounting for the home side, Lyon finally forced the breakthrough. Nicolás Tagliafico rose highest to meet a cross, his header rattling the crossbar before Šulc bundled the rebound home under pressure from Leonardo Balerdi.

The Czech striker’s persistence proved enough to settle a hard-fought Olympico and spark jubilant celebrations among the OL faithful.

THE STAT: In the heat of the moment

Three of the last six instances where a Marseille player has been sent off in the first half-hour of a Ligue 1 McDonald's match were in Lyon: Dimitri Payet in the 19th minute in October 2020, Leonardo Balerdi in the5th minute in September 2024 and CJ Egan-Riley in the 29th minute tonight.

Five English players also started this match between Lyon and Marseille (Maitland-Niles, Morton, Egan-Riley, Angel Gomes and Greenwood), a record in Ligue 1 McDonald's over the last 80 seasons.

READ MORE: 

>>Multiplex: Paris FC make history, Monaco leave it late vs Strasbourg