August 1999 in the UEFA Champions League: a shocking upset against Maribor
Fresh off signing Brazilian striker Sonny Anderson from FC Barcelona for a then-record 125 million French francs (€18 million) and finishing third in Ligue 1, Lyon were eager to make their Champions League debut. But against the Slovenian side NK Maribor, reality struck hard. Bernard Lacombe’s team suffered a 0-1 home defeat in the first leg on 10 August 1999, stunned by a late Filipovic goal (89th minute) despite dominating play. The humiliation deepened in the return leg on 25 August in Slovenia, where a 0-2 loss—with goals from Simundza (24th) and Balajic (45th)—exposed a baffling lack of composure. The squad that day included Anderson, Tony Vairelles, Alain Caveglia, Vikash Dhorasoo and Grégory Coupet.
Relegated to the UEFA Cup, Lyon were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Werder Bremen (3-0, 0-4). Earlier victories over HJK Helsinki (5-1, 1-0) and Celtic Glasgow (1-0, 1-0) were overshadowed by the summer disappointment. Lyon finished third in Ligue 1 in May 2000 and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of both domestic cup competitions.
August 2013 in the UEFA Champions League: Griezmann’s revenge
By August 2013, Lyon had won seven Ligue 1 titles (2002-2008) and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2010, only to be eliminated by Bayern Munich. But the club’s hopes were dashed again in the summer of 2013. After dispatching Grasshopper Zurich in the third qualifying round (1-0, 1-0), Lyon faced Real Sociedad in the play-offs. The irony? Antoine Griezmann, who had been deemed too frail for Lyon’s youth academy years earlier, now tore into his former suitors.
At the first leg on 20 August at Gerland, the French forward opened the scoring (17th minute) with an acrobatic left-footed volley that made headlines. But Real Sociedad won 2-0 after Seferovic added a second (49th). In the return leg at Anoeta on 28 August, Lyon were again undone, losing 0-2 to a Carlos Vela brace (67th, 91st). The team that day featured Samuel Umtiti, Yoann Gourcuff, Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir, managed by Rémi Garde.
Relegated to the UEFA Europa League, Lyon reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Juventus (0-1, 1-2). The club finished fifth in Ligue 1, crashed out of the Coupe de France in the Round of 16 and lost the Coupe de la Ligue final to Paris Saint-Germain (1-2).
August 2014 in the UEFA Europa League: the ultimate humiliation against Astra Giurgiu
The summer of 2014 brought Lyon’s most embarrassing European elimination, as they fell to Romania’s Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League play-offs. Despite a 1-0 win in the return leg on 28 August—thanks to a Jordan Ferri strike (23rd)—the damage was done. In the first leg at Gerland on 21 August, Lyon had already suffered a 1-2 defeat, with goals from Fatai (71st) and Budescu (81st, penalty) turning the tie. The squad included Corentin Tolisso, Christophe Jallet and Maxime Gonalons, under manager Hubert Fournier.
The crushing setback ended Lyon’s 18-year unbroken streak in European competitions. The club rebounded to finish second in Ligue 1 in May 2015, securing a return to the Champions League. Yet the memory of that summer’s fiasco lingers—one that Bernard Lacombe, then vice-president, famously described as being ‘roasted by a team of clowns we didn’t even know.’