30 March 2010 - C'était Une Affaire Française

On 30 March 2010, Lyon and Bordeaux met for the first all-French contest in the Champions League, with Lyon emerging as 3-1 winners.

Bordeaux, the reigning Ligue 1 champions, were again at the top of the table, four spots above Lyon, and had beaten them in the league back in December. The Girondins had also gotten off to a flying start in the Champions League, winning six of their first seven matches to reach the quarterfinals (the other was a 1-1 draw with Juventus in the group stage). There, they met Lyon, who had just eliminated Real Madrid in the Round of 16.

The teams' meeting at Lyon's Stade Gerland was a first, as French teams had met five times previously in UEFA competitions, but never before in the Champions League. Lyon marked the occasion by taking a 10th-minute lead with a goal from striker Lisandro López (pictured). Not to be outdone, Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh drew the visitors level four minutes later.

Lyon regained the lead in the 32nd minute with a goal from Michel Bastos, then sealed the win with a 77th-minute penalty kick from López. That final goal proved to be crucial, as Bordeaux won the second leg 1-0, but lost 3-2 on aggregate.

7 December 2011 - Lyon Beats The Odds

On 7 December 2011, Lyon advanced in the Champions League despite starting the day from what seemed to be an impossible position.

It was the last day of the group stage and Lyon were in third, behind leaders Real Madrid and second-place Ajax. Lyon were three points behind the Dutch and needed both an Ajax loss and a win of their own over Dinamo Zagreb in order to draw level on points. But the challenge did not stop there. They also needed to make up a 7-goal gap in differential, which was a tough ask given that Lyon had scored only twice in their other five group stage matches (both against Zagreb).

Playing at Dinamo's Stadion Maksimir, the hill grew even steeper after Zagreb took the lead with a 40th-minute goal from midfielder Mateo Kovačić (despite losing midfielder Jerko Leko to a 28th-minute red card). But Bafétimbi Gomis equalized for Lyon just before the break.

The second half belonged to Lyon. By the 70th minute, they were up 1-6 with a goal from Maxime Gonalons (47'), one from Lisandro López (64'), and three more from Gomis (48', 52', 70'). At the same time, Real Madrid were on top of Ajax 0-2, bringing Lyon level with the Dutch on goal differential. Then Jimmy Briand pushed Lyon ahead with a final goal against Zagreb in the 75th minute and Real Madrid added another against Ajax in stoppage time to put Ajax's differential at zero and Lyon's at +2.

Lyon's reward for the improbable result was a trip to the Round of 16, where they were eliminated on penalties by APOEL.

27 November 1941 - France's Friend In Need

On 27 November 1941, World Cup-winning French manager Aimé Jacquet was born in the commune of Sail-sous-Couzan.

He enjoyed a long a successful playing career as a defensive midfielder, spending thirteen seasons at Saint-Étienne from 1960 to 1973. While there, he won five league titles and lifted the Coupe de France three times (and in 1968, he made his only two appearances for France). He moved to Lyon for his last two seasons before retiring in 1976, then took charge of the club as manager that year.

After four seasons in charge of Lyon, he switched to Bordeaux and guided the Girondins to the league title in 1984 and 1985, the Coupe de France in 1986, and a league and cup double in 1987. Despite that success, he fell out with the club president and left in 1989. Brief spells with Montpellier (1989-90) and Nancy (1990-91) followed before he took the reins of the national team in 1993.

When he took over, France had just failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and shortly afterward suffered the loss of captain Eric Cantona to a year-long suspension. But he rebuilt the team around midfielder Zinedine Zidane and led them to the quarterfinals of Euro '96.

He adopted a 4-2-1-3 formation and frequently experimented with his line-up, which drew heavy criticism from French commentators. But his work led France to victory in the 1998 World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Brazil in the Stade de France.

Jacquet stepped down as manager immediately after the tournament, but served as technical director for the national team until his retirement 2006.

3 August 1950 - Lyon Takes A Leap

On 3 August 1950, a group led by Dr. Albert Trillat founded Olympique Lyonnais, one of France's most successful clubs.

They were originally part of Lyon Olympique Universitaire, a multi-sports club who established a football section in 1899 and went on to win the French title in 1910. But by the late 1940s, rifts appeared in the club over the question of whether to allow professional players. Unable to come to a resolution, a group led by Dr. Trillat left LOU to form a separate club, which they named Olympique Lyonnais.

Starting in the French second division, Lyon played their first official match on 26 August 1950, beating CA Paris 3-0. They won promotion to the top flight in 1951, but dropped back down one year later.

They won their first major honor in 1964, beating Bordeaux in the Coupe de France final, then repeated as champions in 1967 and 1973. After a lengthy lull that included another spell in Ligue 2, they roared back in 2002, winning the first of seven consecutive league titles (and another Coupe de France in 2008).

Since that historic run, they have yet to win another league title, most recently finishing in fourth, but they added another Coupe de France in 2012.

21 April 2007 - Lyon Was Lying In Wait

On 21 April 2007, Lyon clinched their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title, even though they didn't play that day.

The critical match was at Rennes, who were hosting second-place Toulouse. Going into the match, Toulouse were eighteen points back with six matches left to play. So in order to steal the title away from Lyon, Toulouse needed to win all six of their matches, have Lyon fail to take a point from their remaining six matches, and make up a 27-goal gap in differential between the two teams.

It was unlikely task, but Toulouse got off to a good start when they took a first half lead with a goal from midfielder Achille Emana (30'). Rennes drew level, however, with a 63rd-minute penalty kick from Jimmy Briand (pictured), then claimed the advantage with a goal from Sylvain Marveaux (75'). An own goal from Briand in the 77th minute extended a lifeline to Toulouse, but as the visitors pressed forward, Rennes midfielder Bruno Cheyrou sealed the day for the hosts with a goal three minutes from time.

As it turned out, Lyon would have taken the title anyway, as they won three and drew two of their remaining matches to finish seventeen points clear of Marseille (Toulouse finished in third).

The result made Lyon champions for a record sixth straight season, the first time any team from the "Big 5" European leagues had managed such a feat. They then extended the record to seven the following season.

6 April 1996 - Someone Had To Win Eventually

On 6 April 1996, Metz won their second Coupe de la Ligue, beating Lyon on penalties, 0-0 (4-5). It was the first of three consecutive finals to go to a shootout.

Metz won the cup for the first time in 1986, when they defeated Cannes 2-1. Lyon, however, were making their first trip to the final. Despite the presence of some of Ligue 1's top scorers, including Lyon's Florian Maurice and the Metz duo of Robert Pirès and Cyrille Pouget, the teams battled to a scoreless standstill through extra time.

Their struggles continued in the shootout, as Lyon's Stéphane Roche sent the first kick over the bar (and was consoled by Metz keeper Jacques Songo'o), then Metz's Sylvain Kastendeuch did the same (but without the consolation).

They finally found the net with their next kicks, including shots by Maurice, Pirès, and Lyon goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta, to draw level at 4-4. But then, with Lyon's sixth kick, defender Marcelo sent it to his left, where a diving Songo'o met it and pushed it wide. Pouget then converted his attempt to give Metz the victory.

Metz returned to the final in 1999, but lost to Lens. Lyon returned in 2001 and won, then finished as runners-up again in 2007, 2012, and 2014.


Metz - Lyon 1996 tirs aux buts by fabgrenat

1 March 2008 - At Least Lille Got To Share In The Record

On 1 March 2008, a record crowd turned out to watch Lyon continue the march to their seventh straight Ligue 1 title with a 1-0 victory over Lille.

The result was easy to predict, as Lyon had been at the top of the table since the end of September, while Lille were twenty points back in fourteenth place despite having just completed eight straight matches unbeaten. But in order to celebrate the tenth anniversary of France's victory in the 1998 World Cup final, the match was moved from Lyon's Stade Gerland (with a capacity of 40,500) to the stadium where Les Bleus lifted the trophy, the Stade de France. The move allowed an all-time league record crowd of 77,840 to attend, dwarfing the previous league record of 57,609 set at Marseille's Stade Velodrome in 2005.

To their credit, Lille--who had held Lyon to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season--put up a fight, but eventually conceded a goal in the 32nd minute when Lyon's Brazilian striker Fred (pictured) connected with a cross and drove the ball into the back of the net. It turned out to be the only goal of the day, though Lille came close to an equalizer in the 60th minute when Pierre-Alain Frau hit the bar.

Lyon remained at the top to take their seventh straight Ligue 1 title, while Lille lost only once more to climb to seventh in the final table.

27 November 1941 - France's Friend In Need

On 27 November 1941, World Cup-winning French manager Aimé Jacquet was born in the commune of Sail-sous-Couzan.

He enjoyed a long a successful playing career as a defensive midfielder, spending thirteen seasons at Saint-Étienne from 1960 to 1973. While there, he won five league titles and lifted the Coupe de France three times (and in 1968, he made his only two appearances for France). He moved to Lyon for his last two seasons before retiring in 1976, then took charge of the club as manager that year.

After four seasons in charge of Lyon, he switched to Bordeaux and guided the Girondins to the league title in 1984 and 1985, the Coupe de France in 1986, and a league and cup double in 1987. Despite that success, he fell out with the club president and left in 1989. Brief spells with Montpellier (1989-90) and Nancy (1990-91) followed before he took the reins of the national team in 1993.

When he took over, France had just failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and shortly afterward suffered the loss of captain Eric Cantona to a year-long suspension. But he rebuilt the team around midfielder Zinedine Zidane and led them to the quarterfinals of Euro '96.

He adopted a 4-2-1-3 formation and frequently experimented with his line-up, which drew heavy criticism from French commentators. But his work led France to victory in the 1998 World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Brazil in the Stade de France.

Jacquet stepped down as manager immediately after the tournament, but served as technical director for the national team until his retirement 2006.

18 May 1981 - You May Not Love Him, But His Mahmadou

On 18 May 1981, former Lyon, Real Madrid, and Monaco star Mahamadou Diarra was born in Bamako, Mali.

A defensive midfielder, Diarra started his professional career in 1998 with OFI Crete. After one season there, then three in the Netherlands with Vitesse, he moved to Lyon where he rose to international prominence. With Diarra anchoring the midfield, Lyon won the league in each of his four seasons (the second through fifth of their seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles).

Diarra's success at Lyon prompted a €26 million move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2006. In his first season there, he helped Madrid win their first league title in four years, then continued his run of silverware with another championship in his second season--a personal streak of six straight league titles. Internationally, he represented Mali from 2001 to 2014, making 64 appearances and serving as team captain.

A series of knee injuries and the 2009 arrival of Xavi Alonso pushed Diarra out of his starting role in Madrid and, in January 2011, he moved to Monaco. A move to Fulham followed a year later, where Diarra remained until his retirement in 2014.

15 January 2010 - Lyon Pays For Their Bad Gamble

On 15 January 2010, Lyon secured a domestic shirt sponsorship agreement with Sony, filling a gap left when their original sponsor ran afoul of French law.

French law is more restrictive than other countries with regard to shirt sponsors, including a prohibition on alcohol advertisements that has forced visiting foreign sides like Liverpool, Celtic, and Rangers to either cover or remove their sponsors before playing matches in France. Nevertheless, before the 2009-10 season, Lyon reached an agreement with Paris-based gambling website BetClic despite the fact that existing French law prohibited the advertising of such websites on football shirts.

Lyon officials pressured the French government to lift the ban before the season started. The authorities refused, however, and warned Lyon to expect penalties should they proceed to wear the BetClic shirts. Lyon capitulated and, for the first five months, played without a sponsor. But by January, the loss of sponsor-related income proved too much to bear and the club reached out to Sony. The Japanese company used Lyon's shirts to advertise their Playstation 3 console, but the agreement was limited and did not include European matches. That led to an awkward moment for Lyon and BetClic in the Champions League, when Lyon wore sponsorless shirts for a match at Real Madrid, who were sponsored by BetClic's rival, Bwin (see video below). 

France eventually lifted the ban in 2010, allowing both Lyon and Marseille, who signed with the website for the 2010-11 season, to wear the BetClic shirts.

31 December 1972 - Coupet Rolls Off The Line

On 31 December 1972, French goalkeeper Grégory Coupet was born. He went on to help Lyon to a record seven straight Ligue 1 titles from 2002 to 2008.

Born in the commune of Le Puy-en-Velay in south-central France, Coupet joined the youth program of his local club, Olympique Le Puy, but signed his first professional contract with Saint-Étienne in 1993. He made only one appearance for the club that first season, but established himself as a regular starter the following year. Despite his promising performances, Les Verts were relegated at the end of the 1995-96 season, prompting his move to rivals Lyon in December 1996.

At Lyon, Coupet anchored a defense that saw steady improvement in the club's final league position every year, culminating in their league title at the end of the 2001-02 season--the first in an unprecedented seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles. Along the way, they also won the Coupe de France (2008), Coupe de la Ligue (2001), and the Trophée des Champions (six times, from 2002 to 2007). By the time Coupet left Lyon for Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2008, he had made 518 appearances, ranking him second on the club's all-time list behind Serge Chiesa (541 appearances from 1969 to 1983).

Despite his club success, including Ligue 1 Keeper of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005, Coupet never enjoyed a long run as France's first-choice keeper, falling behind Fabien Barthez earlier in his career, then behind Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda later. Nevertheless, he earned a total of 34 caps, including a starting run during Euro 2008.

He retired in 2011 after finishing his career at Paris Saint-Germain.

3 December 1982 - Essien Gets Going

On 3 December 1982, former Ligue 1 Player of the Year and BBC African Footballer of the Year Michael Essien was born in Accra, Ghana.

An energetic box-to-box midfielder and tenacious defender, Essien began his professional career in 2000 with French club Bastia. Initially used as a reserve back, he switched to midfield in 2001 and flourished. After only three seasons, he drew attention from bigger clubs and signed with Lyon in 2003.

In two seasons at Lyon, Essien won two Ligue 1 championship medals and, after his second season, was named the 2005 Ligue 1 Player of the Year. That success led to a move to Chelsea in the summer of 2005 after an extended negotiation, with the London club paying what was then a club record transfer fee of £26 million. He made 31 league appearances for Chelsea in his first season as the Blues won the 2006 league title. Essien followed that performance by leading Ghana through the group stage of the 2006 World Cup and claiming the 2006 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

He later added another league title with Chelsea (2010), as well as four FA Cups (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), one League Cup (2007), and the Champions League (2012). Essien currently plays for Panathinaikos after joining them in June 2015.

19 September 2007 - Barça Builds For The Future

On 19 September 2007, Barcelona beat Lyon 3-0 in the Champions League group stage. The match was notable for the appearance of substitute striker Bojan Krkić, who came on in the 88th minute for Lionel Messi to become the youngest Barça player ever to appear in the competition.

It was the second age barrier broken that week by Krkić. Three days earlier, at the age of 17 years and 19 days, he claimed a record previously held by Lionel Messi when he entered in the 78th minute against Osasuna, becoming the youngest Barcelona player to feature in a league match. He went on to make a total of 48 appearances for the club that season, as they finished the season without any silverware.

The club rectified that situation the following season, with Krkić making 42 appearances in all competitions and contributing 10 goals as Barça won a remarkable six trophies - La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa del España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

19 August 2005 - Even Chelsea Has To Haggle Occasionally

On 19 August 2005, midfielder Michael Essien moved from Lyon to Chelsea. The £26 million transfer fee made him the Blues' record signing at the time and ended a three-month battle between the two clubs for the player's services. 

Chelsea first expressed interest in Essien in May 2005, the year Essien was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year. They offered £10 million, but were promptly rebuffed by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas. In June, Aulas rejected a proposed swap deal involving recent Chelsea signee (and then-record transfer fee holder) Didier Drogba, joking that he'd be interested only if Chelsea had signed Samuel Eto'o or Adriano. By the end of June, Lyon rejected Chelsea's renewed bid of £16.75 million. 

By July, Essien publicly stated that he wanted to make the move, saying "I have made my choice. I want to go to Chelsea." In response, Lyon set a £31 million price tag on him, plus a demand for a player in exchange. When Chelsea failed to pay by the beginning of August, Aulas hinted that Manchester United were also interested in Essien. A few days later, Lyon rejected an improved Chelsea offer of £21 million, plus Portuguese midfielder Thiago Mendes. 

By 12 August, it was clear that Lyon could not persuade Essien to stay. The club announced that he would sign with Chelsea for a £26 million fee - £2 million more than the London club had paid to acquire Drogba from Marseille. Essien's record did not last long, however, as less than one year later, they purchased striker Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan for £30.8 million. 

Chelsea's current record for most expensive signing was set by the acquisition of striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool in 2011 for £50 million. 

7 October 2007 - Rumors Of Lyon's Death Were Slightly Exaggerated

On 7 October 2007, Lyon defeated Bordeaux, 1-3, at Bordeaux's Stade Chaban Delmas. The win put Lyon on top of the Ligue 1 table.

Lyon were the reigning Ligue 1 champions, but had stumbled to start the season with away losses to Toulouse and Lorient in the league, as well as two 3-0 losses to Barcelona and Rangers in the UEFA Champions League. Nevertheless, they were still sitting in second place when they visited fourth-place Bordeaux. The Girondins had been tipped as challengers for the league, but the match proved that Lyon were not ready to relinquish their title ambitions.

Lyon opened the scoring in the 5th minute when Brazilian defender Anderson Cléber Beraldo headed home from a trademark Juninho free kick. French striker Karim Benzema added to the lead in the 23rd minute, then another Juninho free kick in the 60th minute led to a goal from Swedish midfielder Kim Källström. Bordeaux's Brazilian striker Jussiê pulled one back in the 83rd minute, but the Girondins could not create another and the match ended 3-1 to Lyon.

Lyon finished the season at the top of the table to claim their seventh consecutive title, four points ahead of second-place Bordeaux. The match was Bordeaux's last home defeat and they went on to claim the Ligue 1 title at the end of the 2008-09 season.

7 December 2011 - Lyon Beats The Odds

On 7 December 2011, Lyon advanced in the Champions League despite starting the day from what seemed to be an impossible position.

It was the last day of the group stage and Lyon were in third, behind leaders Real Madrid and second-place Ajax. Lyon were three points behind the Dutch and needed both an Ajax loss and a win of their own over Dinamo Zagreb in order to draw level on points. But the challenge did not stop there. They also needed to make up a 7-goal gap in differential, which was a tough ask given that Lyon had scored only twice in their other five group stage matches (both against Zagreb).

Playing at Dinamo's Stadion Maksimir, the hill grew even steeper after Zagreb took the lead with a 40th-minute goal from midfielder Mateo Kovačić (despite losing midfielder Jerko Leko to a 28th-minute red card). But Bafétimbi Gomis equalized for Lyon just before the break.

The second half belonged to Lyon. By the 70th minute, they were up 1-6 with a goal from Maxime Gonalons (47'), one from Lisandro López (64'), and three more from Gomis (48', 52', 70'). At the same time, Real Madrid were on top of Ajax 0-2, bringing Lyon level with the Dutch on goal differential. Then Jimmy Briand pushed Lyon ahead with a final goal against Zagreb in the 75th minute and Real Madrid added another against Ajax in stoppage time to put Ajax's differential at zero and Lyon's at +2.

Lyon's reward for the improbable result was a trip to the Round of 16, where they were eliminated on penalties by APOEL.

27 November 1941 - France's Friend In Need

On 27 November 1941, World Cup-winning French manager Aimé Jacquet was born in the commune of Sail-sous-Couzan.

He enjoyed a long a successful playing career as a defensive midfielder, spending thirteen seasons at Saint-Étienne from 1960 to 1973. While there, he won five league titles and lifted the Coupe de France three times (and in 1968, he made his only two appearances for France). He moved to Lyon for his last two seasons before retiring in 1976, then took charge of the club as manager that year.

After four seasons in charge of Lyon, he switched to Bordeaux and guided the Girondins to the league title in 1984 and 1985, the Coupe de France in 1986, and a league and cup double in 1987. Despite that success, he fell out with the club president and left in 1989. Brief spells with Montpellier (1989-90) and Nancy (1990-91) followed before he took the reins of the national team in 1993.

When he took over, France had just failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and shortly afterward suffered the loss of captain Eric Cantona to a year-long suspension. But he rebuilt the team around midfielder Zinedine Zidane and led them to the quarterfinals of Euro '96.

He adopted a 4-2-1-3 formation and frequently experimented with his line-up, which drew heavy criticism from French commentators. But his work led France to victory in the 1998 World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Brazil in the Stade de France.

Jacquet stepped down as manager immediately after the tournament, but served as technical director for the national team until his retirement 2006.

3 August 1950 - Lyon Takes A Leap

On 3 August 1950, a group led by Dr. Albert Trillat founded Olympique Lyonnais, one of France's most successful clubs.

They were originally part of Lyon Olympique Universitaire, a multi-sports club who established a football section in 1899 and went on to win the French title in 1910. But by the late 1940s, rifts appeared in the club over the question of whether to allow professional players. Unable to come to a resolution, a group led by Dr. Trillat left LOU to form a separate club, which they named Olympique Lyonnais.

Starting in the French second division, Lyon played their first official match on 26 August 1950, beating CA Paris 3-0. They won promotion to the top flight in 1951, but dropped back down one year later.

They won their first major honor in 1964, beating Bordeaux in the Coupe de France final, then repeated as champions in 1967 and 1973. After a lengthy lull that included another spell in Ligue 2, they roared back in 2002, winning the first of seven consecutive league titles (and another Coupe de France in 2008).

Since that historic run, they have yet to win another league title, most recently finishing in fourth, but they added another Coupe de France in 2012.

21 April 2007 - Lyon Was Lying In Wait

On 21 April 2007, Lyon clinched their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title, even though they didn't play that day.

The critical match was at Rennes, who were hosting second-place Toulouse. Going into the match, Toulouse were eighteen points back with six matches left to play. So in order to steal the title away from Lyon, Toulouse needed to win all six of their matches, have Lyon fail to take a point from their remaining six matches, and make up a 27-goal gap in differential between the two teams.

It was unlikely task, but Toulouse got off to a good start when they took a first half lead with a goal from midfielder Achille Emana (30'). Rennes drew level, however, with a 63rd-minute penalty kick from Jimmy Briand (pictured), then claimed the advantage with a goal from Sylvain Marveaux (75'). An own goal from Briand in the 77th minute extended a lifeline to Toulouse, but as the visitors pressed forward, Rennes midfielder Bruno Cheyrou sealed the day for the hosts with a goal three minutes from time.

As it turned out, Lyon would have taken the title anyway, as they won three and drew two of their remaining matches to finish seventeen points clear of Marseille (Toulouse finished in third).

The result made Lyon champions for a record sixth straight season, the first time any team from the "Big 5" European leagues had managed such a feat. They then extended the record to seven the following season.

6 April 1996 - Someone Had To Win Eventually

On 6 April 1996, Metz won their second Coupe de la Ligue, beating Lyon on penalties, 0-0 (4-5). It was the first of three consecutive finals to go to a shootout.

Metz won the cup for the first time in 1986, when they defeated Cannes 2-1. Lyon, however, were making their first trip to the final. Despite the presence of some of Ligue 1's top scorers, including Lyon's Florian Maurice and the Metz duo of Robert Pirès and Cyrille Pouget, the teams battled to a scoreless standstill through extra time.

Their struggles continued in the shootout, as Lyon's Stéphane Roche sent the first kick over the bar (and was consoled by Metz keeper Jacques Songo'o), then Metz's Sylvain Kastendeuch did the same (but without the consolation).

They finally found the net with their next kicks, including shots by Maurice, Pirès, and Lyon goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta, to draw level at 4-4. But then, with Lyon's sixth kick, defender Marcelo sent it to his left, where a diving Songo'o met it and pushed it wide. Pouget then converted his attempt to give Metz the victory.

Metz returned to the final in 1999, but lost to Lens. Lyon returned in 2001 and won, then finished as runners-up again in 2007.


Metz - Lyon 1996 tirs aux buts by fabgrenat