UCL: Lyon battle to draw away to Fenerbahçe
After a scrappy encounter in Istanbul, Olympique Lyonnais will play next week's second leg of the Champions League playoffs in a good position following their draw with hosts Fenerbahçe.
Openda opens his account
There's no question that transfer traffic in Lyon has been rather one-sided this summer, with the departures of Endrick and Afonso Moreira looking to potentially limit the team's attack. However, the returns from lengthy injury layoffs from Malick Fofana and Ernest Nuamah have given Paulo Fonseca's side hope, and Juventus loanee Loïs Openda, who had been excellent at Lens three seasons ago, would add a focal point to the Portuguese's 4-3-3.
So it proved in Istanbul on Tuesday evening, as Lyon had the better of the first half. While early chances for Tanner Tessmann (23') and Abner (35') weren't converted, there was no denying the Belgian after a stunning spell of one-touch football. After linking play, he showed clever movement to score with a near-post header from Corentin Tolisso's cross, giving Les Gones a halftime lead.
40' GOALLLLLLLL ⚽️ OPENDA
Loïs Openda scores a header from close range, after a Tolisso assist!
0-1 #FenerbahçeOL pic.twitter.com/1uUSaUVXyt— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) August 18, 2026
Greenwood the spoiler and it's all to play for next week
The second half was rather heavier weather for Lyon, however, and it was former Marseille forward Mason Greenwood who leveled the match (46') after a mazy run on the right flank, beating Dominik Greif with a powerful shot. Just six minutes later, Lyon were nearly back in front, only for Openda's low shot to hit the base of the post.
Ten minutes from time, Fener would also hit the woodwork, with substitute Nene letting fly with a near-post effort, but the match would offer no further chances, and Lyon will return home with a thoroughly creditable draw ahead of their Ligue 1 McDonald's clash with Toulouse FC on Saturday.
Speaking post-match, Openda underscored his happiness at having gotten his side off the mark, saying, "It was a team goal; I didn’t score it on my own. Coco delivered a magnificent cross, and the connections are starting to click. I’m happy to have scored, but the most important thing is next week’s match."
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