Olympique Lyonnais secured a 3-0 victory over Sparta Prague in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round, overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit and advancing to the playoff round. The win sets up a two-legged playoff against Fenerbahçe, with matches scheduled for August 18 in Istanbul and August 26 at the Parc OL.
The match at the Parc OL in Décines drew 51,500 spectators. Malick Fofana opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with coach Paulo Fonseca deploying a classic 4-3-3 formation after using a 5-2-2-1 setup in the first leg.
Fofana’s goal was notable as he had not scored since March 2025 after recovering from a serious knee injury. He was also named in the starting lineup despite recent ankle issues in October 2025.
Fonseca acknowledged the improvement in the second leg, noting that the team created more connections on the sides with Ernest Nuamah and Malick Fofana than in the first leg. He had earlier attributed the first-leg loss to a problem with the interpretation of strategy and intensity.
Captain Corentin Tolisso praised the pace and directness of Fofana and Nuamah, describing them as “very fast and very dangerous in one-on-one” situations. Defender Moussa Niakhaté, who returned after a suspension for the first leg, said nothing has been easy for Lyon recently and that beating Fenerbahçe would make a “beautiful story” if they qualify by beating this Fenerbahçe team, adding that Lyon has nothing to envy the Turkish side.
Attended the match at the Parc OL against Sparta Prague.
Celui qui va passer méritera totalement d’aller en Ligue des champions — Corentin Tolisso, Lyon kaptanı
Fenerbahçe have strengthened their squad with players including Mason Greenwood, Nathan Aké, Vedat Muriqi, and Romelu Lukaku. Fonseca, however, has a personal hurdle: he has not successfully qualified for the next round of a European cup after failing to win a first-leg match since March 2016. That includes an earlier setback with Braga, who lost 1-0 away to Fenerbahçe in the first leg before winning the second leg 4-1 at home, yet still failed to advance.
