Steeve Kango shines on Lyon debut, man of the match at Celta | OneFootball

At 19 and without a prior senior appearance, Steeve Kango lit up his Lyon debut in Galicia, named man of the match at Celta. L'Équipe notes that he started as a right wing-back in a 5-3-2 and struck Radu's post on 73 minutes.

From the off he attacked the flank, his early centres sharp and direct. On 10 minutes Nartey could not profit from one of his deliveries, and at 29 he burst into the area before being blocked.

After the break he relished the contest, duelling with Swedberg on 48 minutes. He clipped the woodwork on 73, was booked on 77, then made way for Tanner Tessmann after 85 high-energy minutes.

Paulo Fonseca turned to the Vaulx-en-Velin native, trained as a centre-back, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles out for about a fortnight and Hans Hateboer not registered for Europe. Kango had only joined the senior group on Sunday for the 1-1 draw with Paris FC, without coming on.

Raised at local clubs in Villeurbanne and Vaulx-en-Velin, he joined Lyon's academy in 2021 and rose quickly. This season he has 14 reserve appearances and one goal in 2025-2026. At 1.81m, he is a leader of the 2006 cohort, comfortable on either flank and sometimes centrally. Setbacks from injuries late last season stalled him, but he has pushed on, aiming to establish himself as a modern full-back built on intensity, pace and tactical discipline.

Source: L'Équipe