Olympique Lyon was not exactly among the elite in Ligue 1 and well-known in Europe till early 2000s. They have actually been playing in UEFA Champions League more often than in Europa League. No wonder that their home turf, Groupama Stadium, is one of the most modern venues in France with dazzling atmosphere from the 59,186 spectators in it since it often holds more UCL fixtures.
Lyon have had a number of players contributing well in their continental second tier competition such as Nabil Fekir, Alexander Lacazette, Bafetimi Gomis, Jimmy Briand, Samuel Umtiti, Anthony Lopes, Memphis Depay, Corentin Tolisso and Maxime Gonalons. However, only two managers who were apart of Lyon’s notable seasons in Europa League. They are Remy Garde and the current Rennes boss, Bruno Genesio.
Top Achievements in the Europa League
Les Gones’ best result in Europa League was in 2016/17. Bruno Genesio’s men managed to reach the last four after knocking out AS Roma and Besiktas at the previous stages. Unfortunately, they suffered a dramatic loss against Ajax Amsterdam 4-5 on aggregate. Alexander Lacazette and Co were smashed 1-4 at the first leg but only able to pick up a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture.
On the other two occasions, in 1997/98 and 2013/14, Lyon could only progress to the quarter finals. In both seasons, they were eliminated by two Italian teams, Bologna and Juventus respectively. Meanwhile, in the rest of the seasons, Les Gones, which made their second tier European competition debut in 1960 under its oldest name, Inter-Fairs Cup, only went through as far as the round of 16.
Iconic Moments in the Competition
Considering Olympique Lyon’s limited appearances in Europa League rather than in the Champions League, they only have had a few
Iconic Moments
in this tournament. Their most unforgettable one was in 2016/17 quarter final. Les Gones were involved in a tight clash against Besiktas and had to rely on penalties to edge out the Turkish side by 7-6. Another most memorable one was the second round of 1995/96 season. Back then, Lyon was barely heard of in European competition but managed to snatch a convincing 4-1 win on aggregate against Lazio which was one of the magnificient seven in Serie A in 1990s. Unfortunately, their progress was halted by Nottingham Forest at the next stage.
Meanwhile, the most disappointing loss was surely in 2017 semi final. Ajax Amsterdam under Peter Bosz picked up a big win, 4-1 at the first leg in Amsterdam. Les Gones’s 3-1 victory at their home turg simply did not suffice their hope to advance. Alexander Lacazette and Co bitterly had to head to the exit as they failed to score more goals to make a superb comeback.
