Olympique Lyonnais rescued a dramatic late draw against Celta Vigo in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash in Spain, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return match in France.

The hosts made the brighter start at Balaídos and deservedly took the lead midway through the first half. In the 25th minute, Rueda finished off a sharp attacking move, turning home a low cross from Williot Swedberg to give Celta Vigo the advantage. The Galician side looked confident and dangerous, while Lyon struggled to establish rhythm in midfield.

Before the break, the French side were fortunate not to fall further behind. Goalkeeper Griff produced several crucial saves to keep Olympique Lyonnais in the contest as Celta Vigo continued to threaten with quick transitions and aggressive pressing.

The turning point arrived shortly after the restart. Borja Iglesias, the focal point of Celta Vigo’s attack, was shown a red card for an elbow during an aerial duel, leaving the Spanish side down to ten men. From that moment, the momentum shifted dramatically.

Sensing their opportunity, Lyon pushed forward relentlessly. Roman Yaremchuk led the press from the front, while Kango and the Ukrainian striker both squandered clear chances as the French visitors laid siege to the hosts’ penalty area.

The pressure finally paid off deep into stoppage time. Young Brazilian forward Endrick struck a left-footed effort that should have been routine for goalkeeper Ionuț Radu. Instead, the Romanian made a costly mistake, allowing the ball to slip under his body and into the net.

2025-26, Europa League

Celta - Lyon 1:1 (1:0)
Goals: Rueda, 25 (1:0); Endrick, 87 (1:1)

Celta: Radu A.; Starfelt; Mingueza (Ristič M., 63); Rueda (Carreira, 46); Alonso M.; Rodriguez J.; Moriba (Sotelo, 90); Vecino; Swedberg (Durán, 66); Iglesias (till 54); Aspas (Jutgla, 46)
Substitution: Carreira (from 46); Jutgla (from 46); Ristič M. (from 63); Durán (from 66); Sotelo (from 90)
Bench: Villar; Aidoo; Núñez Ál.; Domínguez C.; Alvarez H.; Lopeez F.; El-Abdellaoui
Yellow Cards: Iglesias 20, 54; Mingueza 48; Alonso M. 90; Vecino 90
Red cards: Iglesias 54'

Lyon: Greif; Tagliafico (Himbert, 67; Karabec, 70); Abner; Niakhaté; Mata C.; Kango (Hamdani, 85); Morton T. (Mangala O., 85); Tolisso; Nartey (Tessmann, 85); Endrick; Yaremchuk
Substitution: Himbert (from 67 till 70); Karabec (from 70); Mangala O. (from 85); Tessmann (from 85); Hamdani (from 85)
Bench: Descamps R.; de Carvalho; Merah; Gonçalves T. M.
Yellow Cards: Tagliafico 53; Kango 77