Olympique Lyonnais struck late to salvage a 1-1 draw against 10-man RC Celta de Vigo in their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 first-leg clash, with Endrick scoring the equaliser to leave the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in France.
Despite Lyon finishing the league phase in first place, Celta arrived in stronger recent form and began the match with greater attacking intent.
Borja Iglesias forced the first save of the game for the Spanish side, while Corentin Tolisso responded with Lyon’s initial effort on target.
The breakthrough eventually went the hosts’ way. After absorbing pressure, Celta launched a swift counterattack as Williot Swedberg surged down the left flank before sending a bouncing cross into the box, where Javi Rueda arrived centrally to fire home and put the home side in front.
Lyon found it difficult to immediately respond, though they gradually began to control possession and looked most threatening through Endrick as the half progressed.
The pattern continued after the interval, with the visitors seeing even more of the ball, but Celta remained resilient until the contest took a major turn.
Iglesias was shown a second yellow card by referee Erik Lambrechts after raising his arm during a challenge with Clinton Mata, leaving the hosts to play the final 35 minutes with 10 men.
The numerical advantage increased Lyon’s pressure. Goalkeeper Ionuț Radu produced several impressive saves, denying Endrick and Tyler Morton, while Lyon debutant Steeve Kango came close to marking his first professional appearance with a goal, striking the outside of the post.
Radu continued to frustrate the visitors, pulling off a superb stop to keep out a close-range header from Roman Yaremchuk with 15 minutes remaining.
However, the Romanian goalkeeper’s resistance finally ended late on. Endrick unleashed a powerful low strike from distance that Radu could only fumble over the line, allowing Lyon to level the contest.
Celta may come to regret their inability to hold onto the lead when they travel to France for the decisive second leg, especially with Iglesias suspended for the return fixture.
While Lyon’s impressive 13-game winning streak between December and February has faded, their late fightback could provide the momentum needed as they chase a place in the Europa League quarter-finals for a second straight season.
