PLAYERS RATINGS I Lyon 0-4 Lens: Les Gones return to the Champions League, but end season with a thrashing | OneFootball

Ligue 1, Round 34, 17/05/2026

Olympique Lyonnais ended their Ligue 1 season with a heavy defeat at home to RC Lens on Sunday evening. Having fallen behind in the 20th minute, Paulo Fonseca’s side never looked capable of turning around a situation that grew increasingly precarious with every passing minute.

The Match

There was an air of celebration and tribute in the atmosphere in Lyon for this 34th and final match of the 2025–26 Ligue 1 season. Moved by the recent passing of Fleury Di Nallo, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, the thousands of Les Gones supporters packed into the stands at Groupama Stadium were keen to kick off the evening by paying tribute to their former number 10, a legendary figure for Les Rouge et Bleu.

Something to heat up an anticipated evening that was expected to be particularly intense, as Corentin Tolisso’s teammates had the chance, should they beat the Sang et Or and provided Lille OSC lost to AJ Auxerre (spoiler: which is exactly what happened), to secure direct qualification for the next Champions League campaign. A prospect far from to the liking of their opponents on the night, who, as early as the 20th minute through Wesley Said, put a damper on the atmosphere at the Rhône stadium.

Overwhelmed, Lyon tried to weather the storm, but, failing to do so, ended up sinking instead. Said took advantage to score a brace. Before Florian Sotoca allowed his teammates to head into the dressing room with a three-goal lead.

It was a night that felt like a nightmare for Lyon, whose only consolation was that their rivals for a top-three finish, Stade Rennais and Lille, were themselves in a difficult position. But theirs was far less dire than that faced by OL, a situation that Florian Thauvin, with his fourth goal, took great pleasure in making even more dramatic. Despite a few tentative attempts, the Rouge et Bleu never managed to get back into the game.

And it was at the end of a gruelling evening, yet one crowned with qualification for the Champions League preliminary rounds, that the Lyon supporters, despite their disappointment, decided to salute their players, whose performances have helped put Les Gones back on the map in France – a team whose very survival was still at stake just twelve months ago.

Lyon player ratings:

Dominik Greif, 2

Clinton Mata, 2

Moussa Niakhaté, 3

Ruben Kluivert, 2

Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 1

Once again put under severe pressure by a winger from the league, the Englishman looked to be struggling to cope with Lens’s attacks, which created several chances and goals. This explains why he was substituted at half-time.

Abner, 1

Orel Mangala, 2

Corentin Tolisso, 2

Like his team, the Lyon captain was never able to cope with the pressure from Lens. Invisible in the heart of the midfield, he had an off day, a far cry from the form he has shown in recent weeks.

Afonso Moreira, 4

Endrick, 5

In what is likely to be his final match for Lyon, Endrick was undoubtedly his team’s best player. Keen to make a successful farewell, the Brazilian found himself isolated too often to shine as brightly as he might have done, though he never shirked his responsibilities.

Pavel Sulč, 2

Selected Lens player ratings:

Wesley Said, 8

He was impressive in the first half and single-handedly broke down the Lyon defence. Scoring twice, Said succeeded in practically everything he attempted.

Florian Thauvin, 7

Malang Sarr, 7

In what could be his final appearance in the Sang et Or shirt, Malang Sarr more than held his own. Though put under pressure by Endrick early on, the French defender eventually got the better of his opponent, winning almost every one-on-one challenge he faced.