Monaco Clinch Champions League Berth for Next Season After Thrilling Win Against Lyon

AS Monaco surged past Olympique de Marseille to claim second place in Ligue 1, continuing their unbeaten home league run in 2025 (W7, D1) following a 2-0 victory over Olympique Lyonnais. This win secures UEFA Champions League football at Stade Louis II for the upcoming season.

Lucas Perri, the goalkeeper for Lyon, nearly found himself in a precarious situation within the first seven minutes when Mika Biereth charged down his attempted clearance, which fortunately deflected wide.

Just minutes later, Lyon, who were sitting in seventh place prior to the match—four points adrift of Monaco—had a golden opportunity to score. A thrilling counter-attack saw Tanner Tessmann squander a prime chance at the vital moment.

Following that near-miss, Monaco’s Philipp Kohn made a spectacular save, diving to his right to deny Alexandre Lacazette after a lovely pass from Thiago Almada. At the other end, Perri was quick off his line to thwart a promising effort from Takumi Minamino.

Midway through the first half, Lyon was compelled to make a substitution after Clinton Mata limped off, paving the way for Duje Caleta-Car. They may have felt fortunate not to fall behind shortly after, as Lamine Camara’s well-placed ball over the Lyon defence reached Jordan Teze. However, rather than shooting, the Dutchman opted to square it for Minamino, whose shot was deflected for a corner.

A vital interception from Nicolas Tagliafico prevented Minamino’s pass from reaching Biereth, while Malick Fofana’s first real involvement in the match resulted in a well-saved curling shot from Kohn.

Neither Adi Hutter nor Paulo Fonseca made any changes at half-time, but both coaches would have been hoping for a stronger attacking display from their sides.

Monaco initiated the first shot on target in the second half, but Perri managed to parry a strike from Breel Embolo before Maghes Akliouche hit the side-netting.

Lyon had the potent duo of Rayan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze ready on the bench; however, neither had been called into action at the time Jordan Veretout made a mistimed pass that left Nemanja Matic vulnerable, allowing Monaco to capitalise superbly.

Minamino seized the opportunity, bringing the ball into the Lyon box and firing a precise shot across Perri into the far corner.

After Cherki’s introduction, Lyon quickly found themselves facing more pressure when Ainsley Maitland-Niles fouled Caio Henrique, and Lamine Camara’s resulting free-kick was cleverly headed home by captain Denis Zakaria.

Mikautadze eventually made his entrance, but it was too late for Lyon, who now must triumph over Angers in their final match next Saturday if they hope to secure European competition next season.

Meanwhile, Monaco heads to RC Lens in high spirits, especially after achieving three consecutive clean sheets at home in Ligue 1 for the first time since February 2022.