PLAYER RATINGS | Anderlecht 1-2 Lyon: Nakamaura and Nartey secure winning start for Les Gones in Europe

PLAYER RATINGS | Anderlecht 1-2 Lyon: Nakamaura and Nartey secure winning start for Les Gones in Europe UEFA Europa League, Matchday 1, 16/09/2026 Lyon were hoping to get their European campaign off to the perfect start in the Europa League as they travelled to Brussels to play Anderlecht. Les Gones were able to secure their first three points of the league phase thanks to goals from Noah Nartey and Keito Nakamura, with a 2-1 victory. The match: Lyon looked dangerous in the opening stages of the match. Ouedraogo came very close to opening the scoring as he diverted his header towards goal from a free kick, forcing Coosemans into a strong stop. The Belgian side were only able to keep Les Gones out for eight minutes with Noah Nartey opening the scoring. Found in space on the edge of the area, the Danish midfielder managed to leave the goalkeeper unsighted as his shot travelled through the legs of an Anderlecht defender into the bottom corner.  Boudache summoned an effort on goal which was stopped after some brilliant dribbling from Nakamura. The hosts’ most dangerous opportunity of the opening 20 minutes came through Maamar but he couldn’t divert his effort on target. It wouldn’t be long before Lyon doubled their lead. Nakamura capped off his bright start with a goal. The Japanese international forward did well to find space and cut inside before finding the back of the net via a fortunate deflection leaving Coosemans with no chance.  Descamps did well to deny Cvetkovic as the Serbian burst through on goal. The French stopper did well to close down the angle after charging off his line to thwart the Anderlecht forward. This was enough to keep OL’s 2-goal lead intact at the break.  After the break, Openda had the chance to put the game to bed after being found by Nakamura, but he could only find the post. Morton thought he had spared his teammate’s blushes by turning the ball home on the rebound. However, the former Liverpool midfielder was in an offside position and the goal was disallowed.  Despite OL’s opportunities, it would be Anderlecht who scored the next goal in the match. Niakhaté played a loose pass to Maamar only for the defender to find Cvetković unmarked in the box to head home and halve the deficit. After finding a way back into the match, the Jupiler Pro League outfit finally found their rhythm and began to threaten the OL goal. Les Gones were forced to contain pressure and hope for opportunities on the counter in the final 20 minutes. Bentayeb unleashed a terrific effort from distance forcing Descamps to save at full stretch to keep Lyon in front. Anderlecht were hoping for a penalty as Mata pushed Cvetković over in the Les Gones penalty area after an altercation off the ball. The incident prompted a VAR check, but after review, the Lyon defender could breathe a sigh of relief as the referee signalled play on. Les Gones would hold on and secure three points. Lyon player ratings: Rémy Descamps – 5 Ruben Kluivert – 5 Moussa Niakhté – 4 Clinton Mata – 4 Mohamed Ouédraogo – 6 Tanner Tessmann – 5 Tyler Morton – 5 Noah Nartey – 7 Kaïl Boudache – 6 Loïs Openda – 5 It was a strange night for the Belgian international striker. He developed a strong understanding with Boudache and Nakamura and found himself heavily involved in positive phases of attacking play. As a result, he found himself with several opportunities. The former Lens striker should have put the game beyond doubt as he hit the post from close range, and on another night if for better finishing he could have been taking the matchball home.  Keito Nakamura –  8 During his first taste of European football, the Japanese international forward certainly didn’t look fazed by the occasion. The winger showed great feet on numerous occasions to find his way into space and evade his marker as was shown with Lyon’s second goal which was much deserved, albeit via fortunate deflection. He also linked-up well with Openda and found the forward on numerous occasions but the Juventus loanee couldn’t apply the finishing touch.  GFFN | Liam Wraith