Lyon fume after controversial derby loss to Saint-Étienne

A week that included a cruel elimination at the hands of Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League ended on a sour not for Olympique Lyonnais in the Rhône Derby. 

Lyon lost 2-1 to local rivals, relegation-struggling AS Saint-Étienne on Sunday night. However, that only tells part of the story. The first controversy came midway through the first half. Lucas Stassin had given ASSE the lead but then made a reckless challenge on Corentin Tolisso. François Letexier brandished a red card before being sent to the monitor by VAR and then ultimately changing his decision, showing the Belgian a yellow. Tolisso left the field on a stretcher with OL owner John Textor telling L’Équipe later in the evening that Letexier admitted to having made an error in not committing to his original decision. The American had taken to social media during the match to protest the decision.

Stassin would then go on to score a second in a 2-1 win. Fonseca’s assistant, Jorge Maciel addressed the incident post-match. “It is frustrating to see a player [elected] man of the match when he should have been off in the 23rd minute. It’s ridiculous! We weren’t at the level in the first half but to give man of the match to a player that forced another [player] off is hard,” he said post-match. 

Linesman hit by projectile during ASSE-Lyon

The game was also interrupted for 20 minutes, just before the conclusion of the first-half, after a projectile thrown from the stands of the Geoffroy Guichard hit a linesman. “You assault a linesman and what now? It is a shame because the atmospheres are incredible but I want kids to be able to come to the stadium safely. The rivalry is top, the derby is top but you have to respect the people of the pitch,” added Maciel. 

The result means that Lyon lose ground in the UEFA Champions League chase. Fonseca’s side are now sixth, two points behind fourth-placed Lille OSC.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle