UEL: Tessmann on target again as Lyon win in Utrecht
On the back of a 1-0 win over Angers in Ligue 1 McDonald's Olympique Lyonnais repeated the feat in the Europa League, beating the Dutch side to continue a strong start to the season. Read on for our match report.
A measure of revenge
Despite having come up short in trying to reach the Champions League last year via their place in Ligue 1 McDonald's, Olympique Lyonnais kicked off this competition looking ready to make their mark, having been cruelly eliminated in the quarterfinals against Manchester United last season. Missing only the suspended Corentin Tolisso, the visitors put out a strong eleven as they kicked off the league phase facing a side boasting the former Auxerre striker Sébastien Haller, who was back with the club where he rose to prominence.
Despite Les Gones' strong eleven, it was the hosts who started brighter, with Dominik Greif reacting smartly to a deflected effort to force a corner (4'). Lyon would respond through Adam Karabec, but his header was off-target. Neither side was able to fashion much in the ensuing half hour, though, and after a chippy first half, the game reached the break scoreless.
🇺🇸 Sep 19: Game-winner vs Angers
🇺🇸 Sep 25: Came off the bench & scored in the #UEL
TANNER TESSMANN. 💥 pic.twitter.com/QEa87FfFMk— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) September 25, 2025
Subs make the difference
Despite having fielded a relatively strong eleven, Lyon would rely on their substitutes to make the difference. After Ruben Kluivert's fine header was kept out just before the hour, Les Gones made a quadruple change, bringing on Tessmann, Rachid Ghezzal, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and youngster Afonso Moreira. The American's entrance would prove pivotal, as he got on the end of a loose ball from the edge of the box and slammed home a powerful effort to give Lyon the lead.
From there, Lyon would weather a storm of sorts, with the hosts having a handful of chances to level the match, but once again profligacy was the name of the game and Lyon held on to make it two wins from two for Ligue 1 McDonald's on the day, following up LOSC Lille's earlier victory with one of their own. Next up, the two Europa League contestants will clash in Ligue 1 McDonald's on Sunday, before OL host RB Salzburg on Matchday Two in a week's time.
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