Champions League: Lyon ease past ten-man Sparta
After overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit with a 3-0 win over ten-man Sparta Prague, Olympique Lyonnais are now just two matches from a place in the upcoming season's Champions League. Catch up on the action from Groupama Stadium with Ligue 1 McDonald's.
A full strength side
After missing the likes of Moussa Niakhaté, Malick Fofana and Ernest Nuamah from the off (or entirely in Niakhaté's case) in the reverse fixture, Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca was able to call on a full-strength side at home. From the off, Fofana and summer signing Loïs Openda looked lively in Fonseca's 4-3-3, but it was Nuamah, making his first start in some 18 months, who would make the difference, leveling the tie on 20 minutes with a close-range striker.
From there, the match would continue to turn in Lyon's favor, particularly when Sparta had a man sent off just past the half hour, as Adam Ševínský saw red for a poor challenge. Lyon pushed to double their advantage, but the match would remain 1-0 at the interval.
🇬🇭 First start with Lyon since March 2025
🇬🇭 First OL player to score this season
ERNEST NUAMAH. 🦁🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ghl5TIn0XR— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 11, 2026
Morton, Maitland-Niles seal the result
Into the second half, Lyon -- who were idle at the weekend while their opponents had played a league match -- continued to assert their dominance. Right back Ainsley Maitland-Niles would put his side ahead on aggregate on 66 minutes, and his countryman, former Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton would make it 3-0 (and 4-2 on aggregate) five minutes later, all but sealing the tie with a fine strike from range.
Now, a playoff tie against Turkish side Fenerbahçe looms, but if Lyon captain Corentin Tolisso is to be believed, his side are ready for the battle. Speaking post-match he said: “We are very happy to have won this game and to have qualified. We had a heart to show another face. We have to keep going, we still have a long way to go and we can progress in many ways. I know I have a role where I am driven to be decisive. I could have scored, but I’m glad I made this assist. It was important for the team to score this second goal. We will continue to work in training. We knew there was this possibility of playing three games, and then a qualifying match. We're ready for this challenge."
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>> Champions League Qualifying: How have Ligue 1 Clubs Fared?
