UEL: Satriano and Kluivert fire Lyon to win over RB Salzburg

The tone was set early at Groupama Stadium as Olympique Lyonnais sealed a dominant victory over Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

After Pavel Sulc saw his penalty saved in the seventh minute, Lyon responded with conviction. Satriano headed home with stunning diving in the after Adam Karabec anticipated a poor Salzburg clearance and picked out the Uruguayan perfectly (11'). 

Ol's dominance continued into the second half, and their reward came just before the hour. Once again it was Karabec who provided the spark, delivering from the right for Ruben Kluivert to power in a header at the near post (57’) — his first goal since joining the club.

Defensive solidity the hallmark

Salzburg created chances of their own, notably through Alajbegovic and Baidoo, but Dominik Greif was unbeatable, producing five saves to secure Lyon’s seventh clean sheet in eight matches across all competitions. With Niakhaté and Mata marshalling the backline and Tolisso dictating play in midfield, Paulo Fonseca’s men once again showed a sense of balance and maturity.

Growing ambitions

With two wins from two in the group stage, Lyon sit firmly in the upper reaches of the UEFA Europa League standings. Their blend of defensive assurance and emerging attacking partnerships has fuelled growing belief that OL can be serious contenders in this competition along with Lille. 

The Stat: an Olympique defence
 

Olympique Lyonnais are yet to concede a single goal this season when playing with 11 men in all competitions. Paulo Fonseca has now also won 66.7% of his matches in official competition with OL (17/26) — the best win ratio of any Lyon coach, ahead of Gérard Houllier (63.9%).

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