Lyon finished at the top of the C3 league phase thanks to its victory over PAOK, while Losc, winner of Fribourg, qualified for the Europa League play-offs.
Lyon travels first and Lille, second. Leaders in the Europa League standings before the last day, this Thursday, the Gones had to face a shower of withdrawals (Tolisso, Sulc…), not to mention the absence of the Endrick phenomenon, unqualified. Never mind, Paulo Fonseca placed his trust in the youth of Lyon. Winning bet. OL got the better of PAOK Salonika (4-2) at Groupama Stadium. A result synonymous with first place in this league phase, ahead of Aston Villa, who overthrew Salzburg (3-2) on their side, thanks to a better goal difference.
OL are therefore qualified directly for the round of 16, without going through the play-off box, and will have home advantage until the end. Good operation. And this even if Paulo Fonseca admitted before the game that pole was “not an obsession», due to the numerous absences and the upcoming clash against Lille, in Ligue 1. It still doesn’t hurt…
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A match which began with a poignant minute of silence in tribute to the Greek fans who died on Tuesday in a road accident towards Lyon. It was the visitors who lit the first fuse and scored by Georgios Giakoumakis (1-0, 20th). But the locals were quick to respond, thanks to a goal from a 17-year-old kid, his first as a professional, Rémi Himbert (1-1, 33rd). A great story for the young Lyonnaise, for whom it was their first tenure. Also trained at OL and barely older (18 years old), Khalis Merah was responsible for giving the reins to his team (2-1, 55th). PAOK had previously been reduced to 10 (40th) but equalized by Frenchman Soualiho Meité (2-2, 66th). Himbert, again, caused a penalty… missed by Adam Karabec (83rd). Which Karabec made up for with the winning goal a few minutes later (3-2, 87th), before the icing on the cake and the achievement of another 17-year-old, Alejandro Rodriguez (4-2, 90+3).
Lille stops the bleeding
Beautiful evening in Lyon, which remains on nine victories in a row, all competitions combined. The dynamic was not the same on the Lille side, beaten in its five matches in 2026 and which was aiming for a place in the play-off. Mission accomplished. The Mastiffs defeated Friborg (1-0). If OL shone thanks to its young players, Losc won with a penalty at the very end of the match from a certain Olivier Giroud. “It was important to react in this bad phase. We had to get back to the fundamentals, we did it. We must no longer make the same mistakes. You can win against anyone but you have to put the ingredients together», swears Nathan Ngoy, calling for a move against Lyon.
Among the other results of the evening, we will remember the new defeat of Nice, beaten on the ground of the Bulgarians of Ludogorets (1-0). The Aiglons had already been eliminated for a while. 51 goals were scored this Thursday evening in the Europa League. In the end, the “big names” held their place in C3. In addition to Lyon and Villa, Midtjylland, Betis, Porto, Braga, Friborg and Roma finished in the Top 8. Among the play-offs, we therefore find Lille, but also Bologna, who lost against Maccabi Tel Aviv (3-0) with a goal from former Marseillais Jonathan Rowe, Stuttgart, Nottingham Forest, Celta Vigo, Fenerbahçe, Pana and even Celtic. Like the OGCN, the Young Boys of Bern, Feyenoord, Basel, Salzburg or the Rangers are leaving.
Friday draw
The draw for the Europa League play-offs will be made on Friday, from 1 p.m., following the draw for the Champions League. Losc will face Celta or Red Star. In the event of qualification, the Mastiffs could also find Lyon in the round of 16. Remember that Strasbourg is still on track in the Europa Conference League. PSG and Monaco will compete in the “Champions” play-offs. This is obviously not the case for OM, pitifully eliminated on Wednesday in Bruges…
