Lyon is some seriously good football. The players aren’t fazed by the fact that their head coach, Paulo Fonseca, was suspended for nine months in early March due to an outburst and verbal assault on a referee. Lyon, at least in terms of team chemistry, now resembles the squad that dominated Ligue 1 and was a Champions League contender in the early 2000s. And judging by how the giant looks since February, when Fonseca took the reins, and the results they’ve been recording, a Champions League spot has become a realistic goal! In Round 29 of the French top flight, Lyon crushed Auxerre with a dazzling performance by Rayan Cherki—a player of extraordinary talent who could be chased by many European giants as early as this May. Based on what the 21-year-old has been showcasing since early February (13 matches, six goals, and ten assists in Lyon colors), whoever signs him could strike gold. Only Ousmane Dembele has been involved in more goals (16 goals and 3 assists) in Europe’s top five leagues during the same period.Rayan Cherki’s goal for Olympique Lyonnais against Auxerre last night.Lyon won 3-1 away. They play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday.pic.twitter.com/3v86r4tsgZ— Kyama (@ElijahKyama_) April 14, 2025 Cherki is a rare football breed, a wizard who can do whatever he wants with the ball, a player who plays for the fans to enjoy… To Lyon supporters, he probably bears an irresistible resemblance to Nabil Fekir. Cherki’s got character, flair, boldness, and audacity. Just three days ago, he scored in stoppage time to equalize 2–2 against Manchester United and then publicly declared that the Red Devils were scared and that Lyon could knock them out at Old Trafford in the Europa League quarterfinals. In a match where Nemanja Matić spent 85 minutes on the pitch, Corentin Tolisso, Cherki, and Thiago Almada orchestrated the visitors’ play. Then, between the 54th and 62nd minute, Georges Mikautadze and Cherki dismantled France’s 10th-placed team and announced Lyon’s fifth win in their last six league games. The Georgian first won and then converted a penalty, and just eight minutes later, Cherki’s left foot bent the ball perfectly into the top corner. That brought Cherki to his 10th goal across all competitions, completing a double-double, as he also has 18 assists. Sinayoko’s goal in the 77th minute didn’t faze the seven-time French champions, since in the 84th minute, Mikautadze assisted Alexandre Lacazette for his 12th league goal.’Lyon-United war’ continues: ‘They were scared of us,’ claims Cherki, Matic keeps taunting Onana🇫🇷🔥 Rayan Cherki (21) is in top form for Lyon! 16 goal contributions in his last 13 matches… • 🎯 vs Marseille• ⚽️🎯🎯 vs Reims• 🎯 vs Montpellier• ⚽️ vs PSG• 🎯🎯 vs Brest• 🎯🎯 vs FCSB• ⚽️ vs Nice• 🎯🎯 vs FCSB• ❌ vs Le Havre• ❌ vs Strasbourg• ⚽️ vs… pic.twitter.com/UKIT79cACX— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 14, 2025 Lyon sealed a victory that propelled them to fourth place in the league standings—a position that secures a Champions League qualifying spot. But with five rounds to go, a fierce battle awaits for European football, as six teams (Monaco, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, and Nice) are separated by just five points. Back in early February, when Fonseca arrived, Lyon was seventh in the standings. Now, returning to the Champions League looks very realistic. And the more optimistic fans are even hoping this team can go all the way and lift the Europa League trophy.LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 29FridayLens – Reims 0-2 (0-1)/Nakamura 33, 88/SaturdayMonaco – Olympique Marseille 3-0 (1-0)/Minamino 34, Embolo 59, Zakaria 80 pen/Toulouse – Lille 1-2 (1-2)/Cresswell 42 – Fernandez-Pardo 21, Bakker 45+4/Strasbourg – Nice 2-2 (0-1)/Emegha 51, Amo-Ameyaw 54 – Bard 38, Ndayishimiye 90+4/SundaySaint-Etienne – Brest 3-3 (2-3)/Stassin 16, Cardona 34, 80 – Ajorque 6, 37, Sima 25/Angers – Montpellier 2-0 (2-0)/Lepaul 2, 43/Le Havre – Rennes 1-5 (1-3)/Mwanga 42 – Matusiwa 1, Assignon 12, Kalimuendo 15, Tamari 57, Gomez 89/Auxerre – Olympique Lyon 1-3 (0-0)/Sinayoko 77 – Mikautadze 54 pen, Cherki 62, Lacazette 84/
