Lyon celebrate 75th anniversary with convincing win over Nantes

Olympique Lyonnais marked their 75th anniversary in the best possible way, earning a controlled 3–0 victory over Nantes at the Groupama Stadium. Abner Vinícius struck early in the second half before Martin Satriano scored a brace, securing three important points and moving OL up to sixth place in the Ligue 1 table.

Nantes, reduced to ten men shortly before half-time, struggled to resist Lyon’s increasing pressure after the break and remain in difficulty near the bottom end of the standings.

The first half was built on control rather than chances. Lyon saw almost all of the ball, moving Nantes side to side, but found the Canaries well organised and largely compact. The dynamic changed five minutes before the interval when Junior Mwanga, initially booked for a high foot on Hans Hateboer, saw the yellow upgraded to red following VAR intervention. From that point onwards Lyon carried the initiative, and early in the second half they made it count — Satriano’s strike off the post dropped perfectly to Abner (51’), who reacted quickest to fire powerfully past Anthony Lopes for his first Ligue 1 goal.

With Nantes reduced to ten and increasingly stretched, the match opened up and OL expressed themselves with greater freedom. Satriano, goalless in Ligue 1 until today, came alive. His first — a stunning acrobatic finish at the near post after a clever header from Šulc (70’) — brought the stadium to its feet. Seven minutes later he struck again, darting to the near post to meet Moreira’s low delivery and tuck home his second of the evening. The Uruguayan left to an ovation worthy of the occasion, a striker reborn on a milestone night for the club.

Nantes thought they had found late consolation through Bahmed Deuff but VAR again intervened, ruling out the goal for a foul earlier in the move. The Canaries leave Lyon empty-handed and under pressure, while OL climb to sixth — a leap forward at a moment crowned with bright symbolism and a renewed sense of momentum.

Reaction

Abner Vinícius (OL) — Ligue 1+:
“We know how important these matches are. The three points matter most. There are no easy games — we worked well in the second half.”

Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes) — Ligue 1+:
“Some decisions were not fair — the red card, the goal disallowed. It’s frustrating, but we must accept it and keep working.”

THE STAT

Martín Satriano scored his first Ligue 1 goal since April 2024 (with Brest v Rennes), ending a 17-match drought. The Lyon striker scored his second brace in 108 matches in all competitions with a team from the top five European leagues, after scoring twice for SB29 against Troyes in L1 in February 2022.