Crystal Palace’s first away match in the Europa League ended in a 3-2 defeat by Lyon, with a disappointing opening 45 minutes leaving Pierre Sage’s side facing an uphill battle in France.
Around 3,000 Palace supporters travelled for a fixture that carried extra significance, with Sage returning to the club he managed from November 2023 until January 2025. The Eagles offered little as an attacking threat before the interval and Lyon established a 2-0 lead while looking comfortable.
Palace improved considerably after the break. Yeremy Pino pulled one goal back and the visitors created opportunities to draw level, but Lyon restored their two-goal advantage against the run of play. Daichi Kamada scored soon afterwards to give Palace hope of taking something from the match.
The Eagles came close to completing the comeback in the 90th minute when Chris Richards met a Wharton corner with a header. Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif produced the save, however, leaving Palace empty-handed despite their second-half response.
The match was one of the standout fixtures for Palace supporters after the draw was made. Following the club’s 2025 FA Cup triumph, Palace were initially due to play in the 2025-26 Europa League, but they were moved into the Conference League because then co-owner John Textor also held majority ownership of Lyon. Textor subsequently sold his Palace share and left his leadership role at Lyon, while Uefa kept Lyon in the Europa League because they had finished higher in their domestic league. Palace later won the Conference League to return to the Europa League for 2026-27.
Palace now face a trip to rivals Brighton on Sunday before returning to European action next Thursday, when they travel to Turkey to play Besiktas.
