The Olympique Lyonnais suffered a bitter defeat at home against Saint-Etienne (2-1) last Sunday, a meeting marked by incidents and injuries, and which could have important consequences for his European ambitions. The atmosphere was electric at Geoffroy-Guichard, but Alexandre Lacazette’s teammates failed to hold up. As early as the 10th minute, Lucas Stassin opened the score for the Greens, before the Lyon attacker was victim of a dangerous tab from behind, inflicting a sprain on the knee at Corentin Tolisso. This incident led to the expulsion of Stassin, but the referee initially took the decision to whistle only a yellow card, a decision that provoked the anger of the Lyon supporters. Finally, the arbitrator corrected his decision, but the situation remains confused and raises questions about decision-making.

The defeat highlighted OL’s weaknesses, including its lack of realism in the first period and the injury of its pillar, Corentin Tolisso. The absence of the midfielder had a major impact on the Lyon game, and the young Lucas Stassin took advantage of this situation to score two goals, one of which was a free kick. Jorge Maciel, Paulo Fonseca’s deputy, acknowledged his team’s error and apologized to the supporters. “We’re counting on our fans for the end of the season, and tonight we owe them an apology. We have a responsibility to make everyone who supports us proud. The greatest regret is our level in the first half. We knew that the entame was going to be decisive, and in all areas we lacked rigour. It’s a real teaching,” he said.

The situation is all the more delicate as Corentin Tolisso suffers from a sprained knee, keeping him away from the ground for several weeks. The impact of this injury is considerable, as Tolisso is one of OL’s most important players. The disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) is expected to take a stand in the coming days, and it is very likely that OL will be punished.

OL is currently sixth in Ligue 1, and he is far from sure to qualify for the Conference League. The club will have to remobilize quickly in order not to lose ground in the race to Europe. The defeat at Saint-Etienne is a hard blow, but OL still have time to catch up.