Amine Gouiri’s 77th-minute strike gave Olympique de Marseille a 1-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen’s BayArena on Thursday, the decisive result of the fourth matchday of the UEFA Europa League, Foot Mercato reported. The goal lifted Marseille off the bottom reaches of the new league-phase table, while Leverkusen stayed seventh with nine points despite the defeat.
In the other match involving a French club, Lyon drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad at the Estadio Municipal de Anoeta, Corentin Tolisso’s 54th-minute equalizer canceling out Orri Óskarsson’s 28th-minute opener. After four matchdays, Lyon sit 13th with seven points, Real Sociedad 19th with five, Leverkusen seventh with nine and Marseille 31st with three, according to the standings published by linternaute.com.
How Marseille beat Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena
The match was tight and physical from the start. Leverkusen’s Miguel Gutiérrez was booked in the sixth minute, and Marseille’s Igor Paixão followed in the 38th, with neither side able to convert its chances before halftime — Marseille had the clearer opportunity of the first period but Leverkusen dominated possession without threatening, linternaute.com reported. Ulisses Garcia picked up a yellow card in the 54th minute, and Tanguy Nnadi was cautioned in stoppage time.
Gouiri made the difference in the 77th minute, scoring the only goal of the game. Leverkusen never found a way through despite a large share of possession, the report said. The win moved Marseille to 31st place with three points in the 36-team league phase.
Lyon and Real Sociedad share the points in San Sebastián
Real Sociedad took the lead through Óskarsson, assisted by Ander Barrenetxea, in the 28th minute at the Anoeta. Tolisso leveled for Lyon in the 54th minute, and the match ended 1-1. The second half was punctuated by yellow cards for Gonçalo Guedes, Barrenetxea, Julien Duranville and David Greif, linternaute.com reported. The draw leaves Lyon 13th with seven points and Real Sociedad 19th with five.
Where the French clubs stand in the Europa League table
Across the league phase, the French contingent is spread through the middle and lower reaches of the standings after four rounds. SO FOOT described Lyon and Rennes as sitting in the middle of a large pack of teams in Europe’s second-tier competition, while L’Équipe’s matchday report pointed to Benfica as the solid leader of the table, with Randal Kolo Muani guiding Juventus.
The competition itself runs from Sept. 16, 2026, to May 26, 2027, with the final scheduled for Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, according to the Europa League calendar published by linternaute.com.
What comes next for Lyon, Marseille and Rennes
Lyon’s remaining league-phase fixtures are at home to Lillestrøm on Nov. 26, Union Saint-Gilloise on Dec. 10 and Bayer Leverkusen on Jan. 28, with away trips to Jagiellonia on Jan. 21, per the schedule. Marseille host Levski Sofia on Nov. 26 and Celta Vigo on Dec. 10, then travel to Celtic on Jan. 21 before hosting Anderlecht on Jan. 28. Rennes, who did not play on Thursday, are scheduled away to NEC Nijmegen on Nov. 26, then host Dinamo Zagreb on Dec. 10 and travel to Omonia Nicosia on Jan. 21.
With four of 36 league-phase rounds played, the open question is whether Marseille’s win at Leverkusen marks a turn or a single result: the club remains 31st with three points, and its next test comes against Levski Sofia on Nov. 26.
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