UEL Recap: Lyon go top, Nice save face
Catch up on all the action from Matchday Seven of the Europa League league phase, as the three Ligue 1 McDonald's sides turned in a pair of wins.
Young Boys 0-1 Olympique Lyonnais
Already all but assured of a top-eight finish, Olympique Lyonnais kept up their impressive run with their seventh victory in a row away to a tricky opponent. Young Boys had gone toe-to-toe with Aston Villa and beaten LOSC already in this competition, and they proved a cagy opponent, dominating possession and limiting Les Gones' chances. What chances Lyon did have, they made good on, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles scoring in first-half stoppage time. There was a nervy moment on the hour as VAR would over turn a Young Boys goal, but Lyon turned in a composed away performance to remain top of the league phase ahead of next week's home match against PAOK.
Lyon remain Europa League leaders 🦁🔛🔝 pic.twitter.com/IwMVs35ZYR
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 22, 2026
OGC Nice 3-1 Go Ahead Eagles
The Allianz Riviera hosted a match with little at stake for both teams, with the Dutch visitors retaining only a slight chance of progress to the knockout stages and OGC Nice already eliminated. Such as it was, Les Aiglons turned in a fine display to win 3-1, marked by the happy return of Dante off the bench and a brace for Tiago Gouveia. While next week's trip to Ludogorets is unlikely to yield a similar result, the win will no doubt be confidence-boosting after Nice suffered a heavy loss to Toulouse at the weekend.
Celta Vigo 1-2 LOSC Lille
After failing to overcome the ten-man hosts, Les Dogues' hopes of progress now hang by a thread as they slipped to 21st in the league phase table. Both sides fielded strong teams, knowing that a win would ensure their progress to the knockout stages, but it was the Galicians who struck first, with Willot Swedberg opening the scoring after just 40 seconds. Celta thought they'd doubled their lead on 19 minutes, but VAR intervened to rule out a goal.
Things seemed to turn in Lille's favor ten minutes late when Hugo Sotelo was sent off, but Bruno Génésio's team struggled to make their advantage tell and paid for it midway through the second half, as defender Carl Starfelt nodded home at a corner. While Olivier Giroud would pull a goal back late on, their season in Europe will now likely hinge on getting a result at home against next Thursday.
