Lyon's rollercoaster season hits new low in March | OneFootball

Olympique Lyonnais endured a difficult March as their promising start to 2026 gave way to a prolonged winless run that has already seen them eliminated from the UEFA Europa League and left their hopes of securing European qualification from Ligue 1 under serious threat.

Last weekend, Paulo Fonseca's side surrendered the lead before losing 2-1 at home to AS Monaco, extending their winless streak to eight matches in all competitions.

Before that setback, Lyon had already suffered another major disappointment on home soil with their Europa League exit. After drawing 1-1 in Spain in the first leg, the French side were reduced to 10 men early in the return fixture and went down 2–0 to RC Celta de Vigo, bowing out in the round of 16.

That European elimination came during a difficult month in which Lyon recorded four draws and four defeats across all competitions. Their Coupe de France campaign also ended in frustration, as they drew with RC Lens in normal time thanks to a last-minute equaliser, only to lose on penalties.

A rollercoaster campaign

Lyon’s current struggles followed what had been a remarkable winning sequence earlier in the season.

The club put together a run of 13 consecutive victories in all competitions, falling just one short of matching the historic streak set in 2006 by the side led by Juninho Pernambucano.

That run began in December 2025 with a win over Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League and continued through fixtures in the Coupe de France, Ligue 1 and the latter stages of the European campaign.

The winning streak helped Lyon finish top of their Europa League first-phase group and at one stage left them just seven points behind then Ligue 1 leaders Lens.

However, following their exits from both knockout competitions, Lyon have now slipped out of the title race and sit 13 points off the summit despite having a game in hand. Their place in Europe next season is also at risk: they are level on points with LOSC Lille - currently the first side outside the UEFA Champions League qualification places - and three points behind Stade Rennais FC, who occupy the final European qualification spot.