Olympique Lyonnais extended their extraordinary winning streak to 13 consecutive matches across all competitions with a controlled 2-0 victory over OGC Nice at the Groupama Stadium on Sunday. Goals from Corentin Tolisso just before half-time and Noah Nartey midway through the second half secured another three points for a Lyon side that continues to be the form team in European football. Pavel Sulc was the creative architect behind both goals, providing assists for each strike as Lyon strengthened their push for Champions League qualification in Ligue 1.
The first half was a tight affair with both sides cancelling each other out for long stretches, but Lyon found the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time when it mattered most. Sulc delivered a precisely weighted pass to Corentin Tolisso on the edge of the box, and the experienced French midfielder made no mistake with a clinical finish in the 45th plus second minute to send the home crowd into raptures at the interval. The goal was a fitting reward for Lyon's patient buildup play, which had gradually worn down Nice's defensive resistance.
Lyon doubled their advantage in the 64th minute through a well-worked team goal that encapsulated the fluid attacking football that has characterised their remarkable run. Once again it was Sulc who unlocked the Nice defence, this time finding Noah Nartey with an incisive pass that the midfielder converted with a composed finish. The two-goal cushion effectively killed the contest as a spectacle, with Nice unable to muster a meaningful response against Lyon's resolute defensive shape.
The victory continued what has been a truly stunning sequence of results for Lyon. Their 13-match winning run encompasses Ligue 1, Europa League, and Coupe de France fixtures, establishing the club as genuine contenders for a top-three finish in French football this season. The streak has transformed Lyon's campaign from one of mid-table mediocrity to Champions League ambition, and the quality of performances throughout suggests this is no mere flash in the pan but a team hitting peak form at the perfect moment.
For Nice, the defeat was a setback in their own European aspirations. The visitors arrived at the Groupama Stadium with ambitions of climbing the Ligue 1 table but found Lyon in irresistible form. Lyon's next challenge will be to maintain this extraordinary standard through a congested fixture schedule, but on this evidence, the confidence coursing through the squad shows no sign of diminishing. The partnership between Sulc's creative vision and the clinical finishing of Tolisso and Nartey gives Lyon a potent attacking combination that few teams in Ligue 1 have found an answer to this season.
Comments