An 88th-minute own goal from Leonardo Balerdi handed Lyon a dramatic 1-0 victory over Marseille in the latest edition of the Choc des Olympiques, giving the hosts only their second win in the last seven head-to-head encounters.
In front of a boisterous Groupama Stadium, Lyon aimed to claim a third straight win to start the season—a feat they had not achieved since 1981.
The first notable chance came on 15 minutes when Tanner Tessmann delivered a deep cross that found Abner Vinícius, but the Brazilian’s touch failed to trouble Geronimo Rulli, who comfortably parried the effort.
Moments later, Abner went down under a Rulli challenge in the box, initially winning a penalty, only for VAR to overturn the call and book him for simulation. He was again denied on 26 minutes when a goal from Malick Fofana’s assist was ruled offside.
Lyon did see a decision go their way before the half-hour mark as CJ Egan-Riley received a straight red card for a foul on Fofana, giving the hosts a numerical advantage.
Despite this, they could not capitalize before halftime. Tessmann saw a shot deflect onto the roof of the net, and Rulli tipped Fofana’s powerful drive over in stoppage time.
The second half was cagey, with Marseille defending resolutely and even creating the first real chance after the break on a swift counter, but Remy Descamps made a strong save to deny Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Lyon responded, and Tessmann squandered a golden opportunity, scuffing a close-range effort from Nicolas Tagliafico’s cross.
As the clock ticked toward full time, Lyon finally broke through. Tagliafico lunged at the ball but collided with Rulli, causing the ball to rebound off the post.
Pavel Sulc forced it goalwards, but the decisive touch came off Marseille captain Balerdi, who was sprawled on the ground, sealing the 1-0 win.
The victory leaves Lyon level with Paris Saint-Germain atop the table with maximum points after three rounds, extending their unbeaten streak in matches without a draw to 18.
Marseille, on the other hand, slide into the lower half of the standings following their second defeat in three league outings.
