2008–09 Olympique Lyonnais season

The 2008–09 season was Olympique Lyonnais's 50th anniversary season in Ligue 1 and was their 20th consecutive season in the top division of French football. They were the defending champions having won the title the past seven consecutive seasons. They were entering the season after achieving their first ever double after winning the Coupe de France, along with their league title.

Lyon
2008–09 season
OwnerOL Groupe
ChairmanJean-Michel Aulas
ManagerClaude Puel
StadiumStade de Gerland
Ligue 13rd
Trophée des ChampionsRunners-up
Coupe de la LigueRound of 16
Coupe de FranceRound of 16
Champions LeagueRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague:
Karim Benzema (17)

All:
Karim Benzema (23)
Highest home attendance40,245 vs AS Monaco (11 April 2009)
Lowest home attendance23,053 vs Metz (11 November 2008)

News

Following the 2007–08 season, it was announced by Lyon Chairman Jean-Michel Aulas that manager Alain Perrin would not be returning despite being the first Lyon manager to win the double. Lyon management attributed the firing to "Perrin's several malfunctions that affected the squad daily throughout the season" and their constant failure in Europe.[1] Following an extensive search, which linked the Lyon managerial position to several managers, including former Manchester United assistant and current Portugal national football team coach Carlos Queiroz,[2] Brazilian manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo,[3] and former French players and managers Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc[4] to name a few, it was announced on 18 June 2008 that Lille manager Claude Puel would succeed Perrin.[5]

During the managerial search, Lyon made several transfers, though even prior to the managerial search, Lyon made a significant transfer deal, signing Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Nice in January for 15 million.[6] The summer transfers included Hugo Lloris[7] (€8.5 million) who was brought in to replace to outgoing Grégory Coupet, Miralem Pjanić[8] (€7.5 million), Jean Makoun[9] (€14 million) and John Mensah[10] (€8.4 million), who was brought in to replace the outgoing Sébastien Squillaci.

Following last year promotions of youth players Sandy Paillot, Anthony Mounier and Romain Beynié from the youth scheme to the professional squad, Lyon signed another set of youth players to professional contracts. Midfielders Pierrick Valdivia[11] (no relation to Chilean playmaker Jorge Valdivia), Clément Grenier[12] and Saïd Mehamha,[13] and striker Yannis Tafer[12] were promoted to the first-team squad, although they will still play on Lyon's second squad in the CFA. Lyon also sign young prospect Timothée Kolodziejczak from Lens. Kolodziejcak, a teammate of Tafer and Grenier on the international stage, will initially move to Lyon on a loan with a purchase clause likely to occur at a later date.[14] Also in an effort to increase their youths' playing time, Lyon re-loaned Sandy Paillot to Grenoble for the entirety of the season[15] and loaned out midfielder Romain Beynié to Belgian side Tubize.[16]

Notable departures included Loïc Rémy, who moved to Nice[17] and French wunderkind Hatem Ben Arfa, who moved to rivals Marseille.[18] The Ben Arfa move was put into speculation after Lyon officials argued that an agreement was not made between the two clubs.[19] However, after a meeting between the two clubs organized by the LFP, the transfer was back on.[20] Morevor, aforementioned central defender Sébastien Squillaci moved to Sevilla of La Liga.[21]

Other departures include Grégory Coupet, who moved to Atlético Madrid after spending 12 years with the club,[22] Patrick Müller and Frédéric Roux, whose contracts expired on 30 June 2008,[23] and Marc Crosas, who returned to Barcelona after spending the winter on loan with Lyon. Inconsistent striker Milan Baroš additionally moved to Turkish side Galatasaray.

This summer also saw the departure of several Lyon youth players who will attempt to ply their trade elsewhere. Lossémy Karaboué,[24] Alexandre Bouchard,[25] and Aurélien Badin[26] have moved to Ligue 2 sides Sedan, Châteauroux and Troyes respectively. The Italian Francesco Migliore moved to Belgian side R.A.E.C. Mons.[27] Young striker Stephen Ettien moved to Scottish side Hamilton Academical,[28] while Mohamed Bedda and Mickael Charvet earned trials at Strasbourg and Nice respectively.

Transfers

Summer 2008 In

Date Pos. No. Name From Fee Source
2008-01-29 MF 7 Brazil Ederson France Nice 15M Eurosport.uk
2008-05-15 FW 34 France Yannis Tafer Promoted from Reserves Boursica.com
2008-05-15 MF 22 France Clément Grenier Promoted from Reserves Boursica.com
2008-05-17 DF 15 France Sandy Paillot France Grenoble return from loan
2008-06-02 GK 1 France Hugo Lloris France Nice 8.5m OLweb.fr
2008-06-05 MF 13 France Pierrick Valdivia Promoted from Reserves Mercato365.com
2008-06-06 MF 18 Bosnia and Herzegovina Miralem Pjanić France Metz 7.5M OLweb.fr
2008-06-17 MF 17 Cameroon Jean Makoun France Lille 14M OLweb.fr
2008-07-01 MF 31 France Saïd Mehamha Promoted from Reserves Mercato365.com
2008-07-09 MF 26 Brazil Fábio Santos Brazil São Paulo return from loan
2008-07-27 ST 21 Czech Republic Milan Baroš England Portsmouth return from loan
2008-07-21 DF 15 Ghana John Mensah France Rennes 8.4M OLweb.fr
2008-07-31 FW 39 France Frédéric Piquionne France AS Monaco 4.5M OLweb.fr
2008-08-21 DF 12 France Timothée Kolodziejczak France Lens On loan OLweb.fr

Total spending: Decrease €57.9 million

Summer 2008 out

Date Pos. No. Name To Fee Source
2008-05-26 MF -- Algeria Mohamed Bedda France Strasbourg On trial RacingStub.com
2008-06-02 FW 44 France Lossémy Karaboué France Sedan Free transfer Mercato365.com
2008-06-05 FW 12 France Loïc Rémy France Nice 8M Mercato365.com
2008-06-24 GK -- France Alexandre Bouchard France Châteauroux Free transfer Football365.fr
2008-06-24 DF 36 France Aurélien Badin France Troyes Free transfer Mercato365.com
2008-06-30 GK 35 France Frédéric Roux TBA End of contract
2008-06-30 DF 4 Switzerland Patrick Müller France AS Monaco Free transfer Setanta.com
2008-06-30 MF 21 Spain Marc Crosas Spain Barcelona loan return
2008-07-01 MF 18 France Hatem Ben Arfa France Marseille 12M Mercato365.com Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
2008-07-05 GK 1 France Grégory Coupet Spain Atlético Madrid 1.5M Soccerway.com
2008-07-14 DF 47 Italy Francesco Migliore Belgium Mons Free transfer LyonCapitale.fr
2008-07-15 DF 22 Brazil Anderson Brazil São Paulo loan SkySports.com
2008-07-17 DF 29 France Sébastien Squillaci Spain Sevilla 6.5M UEFA.com
2008-08-20 DF 15 France Sandy Paillot France Grenoble On loan Mercato365.com
2008-08-21 MF 24 France Romain Beynié Belgium Tubize On loan Mercato365.com
2008-08-26 FW 21 Czech Republic Milan Baroš Turkey Galatasaray 5.5M Galatasaray.org
2008-08-30 FW -- France Stephen Ettien Scotland Hamilton Academical Free transfer AcciesFC.co.uk

Total income: Increase 33.5 million

Winter 2009 out

Date Pos. No. Name To Fee Source
2009-01-23 DF 22 Brazil Anderson Brazil Cruzeiro Loan Mercato365.com
2009-01-31 DF 33 France Mickaël Charvet France Ajaccio Free transfer Mercato365.fr
2009-03-01 FW 9 Brazil Fred Brazil Fluminense Free SkySports.com

Squad information

Last updated May 30, 2009

N
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Since
App
Goals
Ends
Transfer fee
Notes
1 GK France Lloris36EU 2008 45 0 2013 €8.5M
2 DF France Clerc40EU 2002 103 1 2010 Youth system
3 DF Brazil Cris (VC)46Non-EU 2004 193 17 2011 €3.5M
4 DF France Boumsong43EU 2008 60 2 2011 €3M
5 MF France Bodmer40EU 2007 70 7 2011 €6.5M
6 MF Sweden Källström41EU 2006 134 12 2010 €8M
7 MF Brazil Ederson37Non-EU 2008 45 5 2013 €15M
8 MF Brazil Juninho (captain)48EU 2001 303 100 2010 Free
10 FW France Benzema35EU 2004 141 63 2013 Youth system
11 DF Italy Grosso45EU 2007 76 2 2011 €7.5M
12 DF France Kolodziejczak32EU 2008 1 0 Undisclosed Loan
13 MF France Valdivia35EU 2008 0 0 2009 Youth system
14 FW France Govou (VC)44EU 1999 317 55 2010 Youth system
15 DF Ghana Mensah40Non-EU 2008 17 0 2013 €8.4M
17 MF Cameroon Makoun40EU 2008 46 9 2012 €14M
18 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina Pjanić33EU 2008 23 0 2013 €8M
19 MF Argentina Delgado42Non-EU 2008 35 3 2011 €11M
20 DF France Réveillère43EU 2003 200 6 2011 Free
22 MF France Grenier32EU 2008 0 0 2011 Youth system
23 FW Ivory Coast Keïta42Non-EU 2007 70 8 2011 €18M
25 GK France Hartock36EU 2005 0 0 2009 Youth system
26 MF Brazil Fábio Santos43Non-EU 2006 25 0 2010 €4.2M
27 FW France Mounier36EU 2007 27 5 2010 Youth system
28 MF France Toulalan40EU 2006 125 0 2013 €7M
29 FW France Tafer32EU 2008 4 0 2011 Youth system
30 GK France Vercoutre43EU 2002 47 0 2010 Free
31 MF France Mehamha33EU 2008 0 0 2011 Youth system
32 DF France Gassama34EU 2008 10 0 2011 Youth system
34 FW France Pied34EU 2008 0 0 2011 Youth system
35 DF France Fontaine32EU 2008 0 0 Undisclosed Youth system
36 MF France Faure32EU 2008 1 0 Undisclosed Youth system
38 FW France Lacazette32EU 2008 0 0 Undisclosed Youth system
39 FW France Piquionne44EU 2008 26 4 2012 €4.5M

Club

Coaching staff

Claude Puel, first season with Lyon.
Position Staff
Manager France Claude Puel
Assistant manager France Patrick Collot
Assistant manager France Bruno Genesio
First team coach France Rémi Garde
Striker coach Brazil Sonny Anderson
Goalkeeping coach France Joël Bats
Team doctor France Jean-Jacques Amprino
Team doctor France Emmanuel Ohrant
Fitness coach France Robert Duverne

Last updated: 31 July
Source: OLweb.fr

Stade de Gerland, current stadia of Lyon.

Other information

Chairman France Jean-Michel Aulas
Special Advisor France Bernard Lacombe
Club Ambassador Brazil Sonny Anderson
Ground (capacity and dimensions) Stade de Gerland (41,044 / 112x65 meters)

Updated to match played 7 March
Source: OLweb.fr

Team kits

Umbro will provide the kits for Olympique Lyonnais. Umbro have been the official kit provider of Lyon since 2003 and just last year signed an extension with Lyon until 2013.[29] This season, Lyon will have brand new home, away, and Champions League kits. The kits were presented on June 30, 2008.[30] The new home kit is original white with the red and blue vertical strip, along with single blue stripes along the shoulders. The new away kit is all blue with single black stripes along the shoulders and the new Champions League away kit is electric yellow with the red and blue vertical stripe, along with single red and blue stripes on the shoulders.[31] The team's alternate away kit consists of the home shirt with red shorts and white socks. It is only worn when Lyon are unable to wear their white shorts in an away tie due to the designated home team wearing white shorts.[32]

Supplier: Umbro
Sponsor(s): Novotel (home) and Ticket Restaurant (away)

Home Kit
Away Kit
Euro Kit
Alternate Away Kit
Goalkeeper Kit
Goalkeeper Away Kit

Pre-season friendlies

Lyon played a total of six friendly matches. Lyon opened up their pre-season on 12 July with a 3–2 victory over Nîmes in Albertville, near Tignes, the location of Lyon's pre-season camp. A week later, on 19 July, they traveled away to Bucharest to face Rapid București, which resulted in a 2–1 loss. They then took a trip to Belgrade to play against Partizan on 23 July. Lyon came out with a positive result, beating the Serbian side 3–1 with goals from Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou. They followed that victory up with another as they cruised to a 3–0 victory over Ligue 1 side Nancy in nearby Villefranche-sur-Saône. Their last friendly in the month of July would in turn be a 0–1 defeat to AS Monaco on July 29 in Annecy.[33] Their final friendly match was the annual Trophée des Champions match. Since Lyon won both the league and the Coupe de France, they faced the club that finished in second place in Ligue 1 this past season, Bordeaux. The match was played on 2 August at Bordeaux's ground, the Stade Chaban-Delmas.[34] After 90 minutes without a goal, Bordeaux defeated Lyon 5–4 on penalties to earn their first Trophée des Champions title, ending Lyon's streak of six-straight Trophée des Champions titles.

Date Opponents H / A Result Scorers Attendance
July 12, 2008 France Nîmes Olympique H 3 – 2 Juninho 6', Tafer 40', Mounier 63'
July 19, 2008 Romania Rapid București A 1 – 2 Tafer 57'
July 23, 2008 Serbia Partizan A 3 – 1 Sikimić 16' (o.g.), Govou 22', Benzema 64'
July 24, 2008 France Nancy H 3 – 0 Juninho 6', Pied 68', Tafer 77' 3,000
July 29, 2008 France AS Monaco H 0 – 1 3,500
August 2, 2008 France Bordeaux A 4 – 5 (P) 27,167

Competitions

Lyon opened up their Ligue 1 season in a positive fashion, defeating Toulouse 3–0 with a brace from Karim Benzema and a rare goal from Jean Makoun. Following a 0–0 draw away to Lorient, which dropped them to third in the league standings, Lyon rebounded with back-to-back wins over Rhône-Alpes rivals Grenoble and Saint-Étienne respectively. Following that, Lyon picked up their third-straight victory with a 3–2 win over Nice. The match was, however, marred with controversy—after trailing 0–2, Lyon got back into the match with two spectacular free-kicks from Juninho. With the match in injury time and looking to end in a draw, referee Jean-Charles Cailleux and one of his assistant referees ruled a handball infraction had been committed by Nice defender Vincent Hognon in the box, giving Lyon a penalty which was converted by Benzema. Looking at the replay, it could have easily been determined that the handball infraction had been without malice and that the penalty should have not been given. However, Lyon escaped with a victory, which moved them into first place. They followed this win up with back to back one goal wins over newly promoted side Le Havre and Nancy giving them five-straight league victories.

The following week, Lyon received their first loss in the league against Rennes that would later be described as a "thrashing" by the media.[35] Lyon struggled in every aspect of the match and allowed Rennes striker Mickaël Pagis to score a hat-trick, the last goal being a beautiful strike from almost 30 yards out.[36] The loss to Rennes showed as Lyon's horrible form continued drawing with both Lille and Auxerre the following two weeks. Lyon finally got back on track with shut-out wins over Sochaux, Le Mans and Monaco before heading into their showdown with imminent rivals Bordeaux. With Lyon playing at home, they proved to still be the most dominant French side in the league, defeating Bordeaux 2–1 with goals from Benzema and a beautiful goal from Kim Källström.[37] The following week, Lyon got another test, this time in Paris. In this match, Lyon not only incurred their second defeat, but they lost their consistent right back Anthony Réveillère to injury with the player likely being out for the season, though he later returned to the squad.[38] The following match, Lyon only managed a 0–0 draw in the downpouring rain against Valenciennes.[39]

Lyon suffered their third defeat of the season the following week against relegation strugglers Nantes. Lyon came into the match apparently looking ahead to their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich and proceeded to underestimate the West Coast side, who defeated Lyon 1–2 with two goals from the Croat Ivan Klasnić.[40] The loss was promptly followed by a showdown for first place with rivals Marseille the following week. Other than battling for first place, the return of Hatem Ben Arfa to the Stade Gerland was on the minds of supporters, as well as the players. However, despite the hype and build-up leading up to the match, including achieving a record television audience,[41] both clubs failed to score a goal as the match ended in another 0–0 draw.[42] Lyon finally ended their winless run with a 1–0 victory over Caen with Benzema scoring Lyon's lone goal, his tenth of the league campaign.[43] With the victory, Lyon were assured first place heading into the three-week winter break.

Lyon returned from the winter break taking on Lorient. Despite getting an early goal from Ederson, Lyon failed to get a winning result leaving the match with a 1–1 draw.[44] The following week, they rebounded with a 2–0 victory over Grenoble with Ederson getting on the scoreboard for the second-straight week.[45] Due to Lyon's cup matches being postponed, they were forced to endure two cup matches in a span of four days before facing rivals Saint-Étienne. The match ended in another 1–1 draw.[46] After a full week of training, Lyon again rebounded from a draw picking up a convincing 3–1 victory over Hugo Lloris' former club Nice, with Jean Makoun scoring an unexpected brace.[47] This match also marked the league debut of youth product Yannis Tafer. The following week, they picked up another convincing 3–1 win, this time against Le Havre, with Makoun scoring again. This match also marked Lyon's third-straight match where a red card was given. The following week, Lyon again earned a victory, defeating Nancy 2–0. Lyon started the match without the majority of their regulars who were being rested for the first leg of their Champion's League showdown with Barcelona.

Returning from Champion's League play, Lyon faced Rennes, who was responsible for the champions first loss of the season. The match remained even until the 66th minute when Kim Källström scored following a gifted pass from the youngster Miralem Pjanić. The scoreline remained until injury time when Rennes striker Jimmy Briand scored after receiving a nice through-ball which caught Lyon defender Cris off guard. Briand proceeded to get a shot on the ball off balance, which got past the charging Hugo Lloris to tie the match 1–1, the eventual final scoreline. Lyon followed this draw with a defeat taking on Lille, whom they had just contested three days ago in a Coupe de France tie. With the match being played at the Stade de France and the clubs entertaining a record crowd, Lyon fielded a pretty strong, yet questionable side with players Mathieu Bodmer and François Clerc returning from a long absence and also having the task of defeating Barcelona in Spain in the second leg of their Champion's League clash. In the match, Lyon failed constantly to get on the scoreboard with the former mastiff Kader Keïta missing on numerous opportunities. Lille made sure they made good on their chances with Róbert Vittek scoring the opening goal in the 60th minute and Michel Bastos finishing off Lyon, scoring the second goal in the 88th minute to pick up a 0–2 victory.

After returning from their embarrassing defeat to Barcelona in Spain, Lyon suffered another embarrassment losing their first match at home this season to minnows Auxerre, despite both management and Claude Puel stating the club would respond positively to their elimination from the Champion's League. Fielding exactly the same lineup that lost 2–5 to Barcelona, Lyon failed for the second week in a row to get on the scoreboard losing 0–2 to Auxerre, who got goals from Ireneusz Jeleń and Thomas Kahlenberg, leaving Lyon to hope they get a positive result from the Le Classique in order to hold on to their first-place position.

They would indeed keep hold of first place as a result of Marseille's 3–1 victory over PSG. Lyon responded by picking up their first league victory in over three matches in a 2–0 win over Sochaux. They captured their second-straight league victory in a win over Le Mans with Karim Benzema securing a much-needed brace in a 3–1 win. With the likes of Marseille, Bordeaux, PSG, Lille and Toulouse on their backs, Lyon needed victories to ensure their eighth-straight league title. They proceeded to falter drawing with mid-table club Monaco 2–2. Despite being ten spots down in the table, Monaco were the stronger side forcing Lyon to come back from a goal down twice. The draw also dropped Lyon from the top spot, which they had held since the fourth week of the season. With Marseille recording a victory over Lorient hours before, Lyon needed a victory over Bordeaux to ensure they remain in the title race. Early on in the match, Lyon were denied a clear penalty chance after Ederson was taking down in the box by Bordeaux right back Matthieu Chalmé. Bordeaux proceeded to score just before half-time with a goal from the former Lyonnais Alou Diarra after Wendel hit the post on a shot off a corner kick. Chalmé would be involved in another denied penalty dispute later in the match, this time with Benzema. Despite the initial foul occurring inside the penalty box, referee Stéphane Bré ruled the foul had occurred outside the box where Benzema fell. Eventually, Lyon fell to Bordeaux dropping the defending champions to third and, instead of fighting for the title, were now fighting for the third and final Champions League place with PSG, whom they faced next week. Played on a Friday, Lyon failed to score a goal for the second straight week as the match ended in a 0–0 draw. The next week against Valenciennes, Lyon endured their seventh defeat of the season, losing 0–2. The lost effectively, but not mathematically, eliminated Lyon from winning their eight consecutive title. That occurred the following week. Despite defeating Nantes 3–0 with Jean Makoun scoring a brace, a victory by Bordeaux over Valenciennes eliminated Lyon from title contention.

Instead of reminiscing, Lyon took the opportunity to focus on qualifying for next year's UEFA Champions League with a key match against Marseille. Though they were positioned for the third qualifying round in the standings, Lyon looked to jump Marseille into second position to go directly through the group stage. In front of a record crowd for a Marseille match, Lyon cruised to a 3–1 victory, with Benzema finally ending his goal drought scoring a brace. Juninho scored the third goal. The following week, against Caen, Juninho and Benzema scored again in a 3–1 victory. For Juninho, it was his 100th career goal for Lyon. Juninho also received a standing ovation upon being substituted out, in what some knew was his final match at the Stade Gerland. Unfortunately, the victory was with malice since Marseille also won that week. Lyon were now guaranteed to finish in the third spot, meaning they would be seeded directly into the Playoff round, where they might end up facing the likes of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk and Sporting CP.

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Bordeaux (C) 38 24 8 6 64 34 +30 80 Qualification to Champions League group stage
2 Marseille 38 22 11 5 67 35 +32 77
3 Lyon 38 20 11 7 52 29 +23 71 Qualification to Champions League play-off round
4 Toulouse 38 16 16 6 45 27 +18 64 Qualification to Europa League play-off round
5 Lille 38 17 13 8 51 39 +12 64 Qualification to Europa League third qualifying round
Source: Ligue 1
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
France's third UEFA Europa League spot went to Ligue 2 side Guingamp, winners of 2008–09 Coupe de France.
(C) Champions

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
38 20 11 7 49 28  +21 71 10 8 1 29 14  +15 10 3 6 20 14  +6

Source: lfp.fr

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHNHHAHAHAHAHA
ResultWDWWWWWLDDWWWWLDLDWDWDWWWDLLWWDLDLWWWD
Position13221111111111111111111111111123333333
Source: lfp.fr
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Date[48] Opponents H / A Result Scorers Attendance Position Referee
2008
10 August Toulouse H 3  0 Makoun 12', Benzema 58', 66' 36,448 1st Fredy Fautrel
17 August Lorient A 0  0 14,617 3rd Antony Gautier
23 August Grenoble H 2  0 Makoun 6', Benzema 36' 38,754 2nd Hervé Piccirillo
31 August Saint-Étienne A 1  0 Benzema 56' 34,704 2nd Laurent Duhamel
13 September Nice H 3  2 Juninho 40', 71', Benzema 90' 35,925 1st Jean-Charles Cailleux
20 September Le Havre A 1  0 Ederson 44' 16,211 1st Philippe Kalt
27 September Nancy H 2  1 Benzema 31', Fred 36' 36,895 1st Stéphane Bré
5 October Rennes A 0  3 27,816 1st Damien Ledentu
18 October Lille H 2  2 Chedjou 23' (o.g.), Grosso 76' 38,314 1st Thierry Auriac
25 October Auxerre A 0  0 15,042 1st Saïd Ennjimi
29 October Sochaux A 2  0 Benzema 66', Delgado 90+2' 17,482 1st Antony Gautier
2 November Le Mans H 2  0 Benzema 22', Juninho 55' 36,456 1st Lionel Jaffredo
8 November AS Monaco A 1  0 Fred 54' 10,444 1st Hervé Piccirillo
16 November Bordeaux H 2  1 Benzema 33', Källström 38' 36,341 1st Bertrand Layec
22 November PSG A 0  1 44,780 1st Stéphane Lannoy
29 November Valenciennes H 0  0 35,988 1st Bruno Coue
6 December Nantes A 1  2 Piquionne 44' 26,624 1st Damien Ledentu
14 December Marseille H 0  0 39,638 1st Stéphane Bré
20 December Caen A 1  0 Benzema 42' 20,613 1st Lionel Jaffredo
2009
10 January Lorient H 1  1 Ederson 9' 34,809 1st Hervé Piccirillo
17 January Grenoble A 2  0 Ederson 15', Delgado 77' 19,264 1st Thierry Auriac
1 February Saint-Étienne H 1  1 Juninho 53' 38,590 1st Stéphane Lannoy
7 February Nice A 3  1 Makoun 19', 80', Benzema 27' 12,844 1st Bertrand Layec
14 February Le Havre H 3  1 Ederson 34', Keïta 44', Juninho 73' 37,118 1st Alain Hamer
21 February Nancy A 2  0 Cris 19', Benzema 90' 18,953 1st Fredy Fautrel
1 March Rennes H 1  1 Källström 66' 34,870 1st Philippe Kalt
7 March Lille N 0  2 78,056 1st Saïd Ennjimi
14 March Auxerre H 0  2 37,846 1st Thierry Auriac
22 March Sochaux H 2 – 0 Ederson 14', Mounier 70' 37,334 1st Olivier Thual
4 April Le Mans A 3 – 1 Boumsong 18', Benzema 44', 57' 13,175 1st Philippe Malige
11 April AS Monaco H 2 – 2 Cris 65', Piquionne 81' 40,245 2nd Antony Gautier
19 April Bordeaux A 0 – 1 32,858 3rd Stéphane Bré
24 April PSG H 0 – 0 38,827 3rd Bertrand Layec
2 May Valenciennes A 0 – 2 3rd Hervé Piccirillo
12 May Nantes H 3 – 0 Makoun 7', 34', Mounier 77' 36,792 3rd Lionel Jaffredo
17 May Marseille A 3 – 1 Benzema 31', 42', Juninho 90' 56,498 3rd Stéphane Lannoy
23 May Caen H 3 – 1 Juninho 36', Govou 65', Benzema 86' 39,312 3rd Damien Ledentu
30 May Toulouse A 0 – 0 33,462 3rd Antony Gautier

UEFA Champions League

Lyon entered the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League for the eighth-straight season. Due to finishing as champions of Ligue 1 the past season, Lyon again entered directly to the group stage. The draw for the group stage was determined on August 28, 2008. Lyon were paired with the defending German champions Bayern Munich, Italian side Fiorentina and the Romanian runners-up Steaua București.

Lyon began their Champions League quest at home taking on Fiorentina. Lyon also unveiled their fluorescent green third kit in this match. As with the Nice match, which occurred just four days before, this match had its share of controversy. Following a disappointing first half, with Fiorentina leading 0–2 after two goals from Alberto Gilardino, Lyon came out for the second half with scoring in mind. With Lyon attacking, following a cross into the box, a collision occurred just inside the field of play between Frédéric Piquionne and Fiorentina defender Luciano Zauri, which unexpectedly injured the latter. Following a clearance by the Fiorentina defence, it was expected, by Fiorentina, that the ball would be put out of play with fair play being in mind. However, with Lyon trailing 0–2 and several Lyon players not having any idea of Zauri being down, they proceeded to attack and eventually a goal was scored by Piquionne. Following this incident, Lyon still trailed 1–2, but in the 86th minute, after earning a free kick, Juninho and Benzema proceeded to display excellent and sly teamwork as Benzema equalised for his side drawing the match 2–2 and giving both clubs one point through one round.

With one point in hand, Lyon traveled to Munich to take on group leaders Bayern, who defeated Steaua București 1–0 on the opening matchday. With both teams coming off unimpressive matches a couple of days before (Lyon an unspectacular 2–1 victory over Nancy and Bayern, a 0–1 loss away to Hannover 96), the match showed why with Lyon's only goal coming off the head of Bayern defender Martín Demichelis in the 25th minute from one of Juninho's spot-kicks. Bayern later equalised through Zé Roberto in the second half. Though Lyon had decent chances, including one where Karim Benzema had a chance to capitalize on a Bayern mistake late in the second half, the match remained 1–1 with Lyon leaving Munich with just two points through two matches.

After starting off slow, Lyon rebounded picking up two victories in their home-away series with Steaua. Similar to last season matches with VfB Stuttgart, Lyon used these matches to get back into the competition defeating Steaua 5–3 in Romania. They came back from a 2–0 deficit and a 3–2 one-goal deficit before finishing off the Romanian side in the latter portion of the second half with a goal from Benzema and a brace from Fred. The second match was a positive result as well, with Lyon picking up a solid 2–0 victory with goals from Juninho and Anthony Réveillère. With the result in the other match between Bayern and Fiorentina being a draw, this moved Lyon into first place in the group (on goal differential) heading into the final two matchdays.

With the group stage drawing to an end and injuries piling up, Lyon traveled to Florence to again face Fiorentina. Despite having injury troubles at the back of the defense, Lyon performed well and only conceded one goal, again from Alberto Gilardino, though at the time of the goal, Lyon were up 2–0 after goals from Jean Makoun and Karim Benzema. Despite chances from Juninho and Ederson, in which both players hit the post in amazing fashion, the scoreline remained as Lyon booked their place in the knockout stage. In the final group stage match, which decided what team would finish first place in the group, Bayern Munich defeated Lyon 2–3, scoring all three of their goals in the first half. Lyon controlled the second half with two goals from Sidney Govou and Benzema, but could not get a third to draw the match or a fourth to win the group. With this result, Lyon went through as second.

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Germany Bayern Munich 6 4 2 0 12 4 +8 14 Advance to knockout phase
2 France Lyon 6 3 2 1 14 10 +4 11
3 Italy Fiorentina 6 1 3 2 5 8 3 6 Transfer to UEFA Cup
4 Romania Steaua București 6 0 1 5 3 12 9 1
Source: RSSSF

Results by round

Round12345678
GroundHAAHAHHA
ResultDDWWWLDL
Source: uefa.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Date Opponents H / A Result Scorers Attendance Position Referee
17 September 2008 Italy Fiorentina H 2  2 Piquionne 73', Benzema 86' 37,500 2nd Sweden Peter Fröjdfeldt
30 September 2008 Germany Bayern Munich A 1  1 Martín Demichelis 25' (o.g.) 64,000 2nd Greece Kyros Vassaras
21 October 2008 Romania Steaua București A 5  3 Keïta 23', Benzema 33', 71', Fred 69', 90+2' 20,000 2nd Poland Grzegorz Gilewski
5 November 2008 Romania Steaua București H 2  0 Juninho 44', Réveillère 89' 30,243 1st Spain Manuel González
25 November 2008 Italy Fiorentina A 2  1 Makoun 14', Benzema 27' 35,000 1st Hungary Viktor Kassai
10 December 2008 Germany Bayern Munich H 2  3 Govou 52', Benzema 68' 38,349 2nd England Howard Webb

First Knockout Round

For the six-straight season, Lyon reached the first knockout round. Due to finishing second, Lyon faced the danger of being paired with several big clubs that finished first in other groups. Notable clubs Lyon could have been paired with include Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus to name a few. Following the draw, Lyon indeed received a tough draw, being given La Liga side Barcelona. Lyon and Barcelona were in the same group the previous Champions League season. Lyon lost to Barcelona 0–3 at the Camp Nou, but played well enough to earn a 2–2 draw at home.

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F – A
Scorers Attendance Referee
24 February 2009 First knockout round
First leg
Spain Barcelona H 1 – 1 Juninho 7' 39,258 Germany Wolfgang Stark
11 March 2009 First knockout round
Second leg
Spain Barcelona A 2 – 5 Makoun 44', Juninho 48' 93,062 Norway Tom Øvrebø

In the opening leg at the Gerland, Lyon got off to a quick start scoring in just the seventh minute with a deceiving free kick, from an odd angle, by Juninho, which confused Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés and eventually with into the inside of the side netting. Lyon continued to perform well into the first half, with the defence constantly pressing Barcelona's attack and Lyon's offence missing on a variety of goal chances. Barcelona eventually got its equaliser from the head of Thierry Henry, drawing the match at 1–1. This was the final scoreline as Lyon headed into the second leg at the Camp Nou.

In the second leg, the exact opposite occurred, with Barcelona constantly pressurizing Lyon in the first half, leaving Barcelona to control the match with most of the possession occurring in Barça's attack. This showed as Barcelona earned first half goals from Henry twice, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o, which effectively ended Lyon's chances of advancing to the quarter-finals, despite Jean Makoun and Juninho scoring back-to-back goals in the 44th and 48th minutes respectively. The final scoreline eventually was 2–5, eliminating Lyon from the Champion's League for the seventh consecutive season and for the third consecutive season in the Round of 16.

Coupe de la Ligue

Lyon entered the Coupe de la Ligue season having last won the cup in 2001. The previous season, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Le Mans. As with all other years, Lyon entered the cup in the Round of 16 as they qualified for the UEFA Champions League, where they faced last year's relegated side Metz. However, despite being relegated last season, Metz pulled off a tremendous 1–3 victory eliminating the defending league champions from the competition for the 8th straight season. Since winning the title in 2001, Lyon have only made it to January (usually when the quarter-finals take place) four times.

Date Round Opponents H/A Result Scorers Attendance Referee
11 November 2008 Round of 16 Metz H 1 – 3 Cris 48' 23,053 Fredy Fautrel

Coupe de France

Lyon entered the 2008–2009 Coupe de France season as defending champions, having won the title the previous season in a highly contested 1–0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon began the defense of their title heading to the West coast to take on the Brittany-based side US Concarneau. The match was postponed from its assigned 3 January date due to a frozen pitch and was rescheduled to be played on January 24, 2009. Though Lyon were the dominant side the entire match, the score at halftime was only 2–0. Lyon came out blazing in the second half scoring four goals, three of them in the final six minutes of the match to defeat Concarneau by a score of 6–0.

Lyon advanced to the Round of 32 where they faced rivals Marseille in what was the first big draw of the Cup. In the match, Lyon got off to a quick start with Karim Benzema scoring the first goal in just the second minute. The rest of the match was fairly even, though, marred with several incidents, including former Lyon player Hatem Ben Arfa receiving a barrage of boos when he entered as a substitute in the 16th minute, as well as every time he touched the ball and Lyon player Kader Keïta picking up a second yellow card for elbowing new Marseille player Brandão in the face. In the end, Benzema's goal was the only goal of the match with Lyon securing their place in the Round of 16, where they faced another secondary rival, Lille. Lille, whom Lyon were to face in a league tie three days later, opened the scoring with a goal from Michel Bastos in the 22nd minute. Lyon responded just two minutes later with a goal from Jean Makoun. Just before half-time, Lille's prolific youngster Eden Hazard scored to give Lille a 2–1 lead. Lyon again responded just two minutes later in injury time with a goal from a Lyon youngster Anthony Mounier, thus evening the match heading into halftime. With Lyon constantly responding back, Lille effectively ended Lyon's chances of defending their title by scoring at the death with a goal from Nicolas Fauvergue giving Lyon no time to respond back, eliminating the defending champions from the Coupe de France.

Date Round Opponents H/A Result Scorers Attendance Referee
24 January Round of 64 Concarneau A 6  0 Boumsong 29', Mounier 36', 63', Delgado 86', Keïta 89', Piquionne 90+2' 15,000 Fredy Fautrel
28 January Round of 32 Marseille H 1  0 Benzema 2' 28,304 Laurent Duhamel
4 March Round of 16 Lille A 2  3 Makoun 24', Mounier 45' 16,000 Stéphane Bré

Start formations

Qnt Formation Match(es)
2 4-4-1-1 2, 13
7 4-4-2 3, 8, 11, 12, 14, 19, 20
12 4-2-3-1 1, 4, 6, 16, UCL 6, 21, CDF 2, 22, 25, CDF 3, 34, 36
27 4-3-3 5, UCL 1, 7, UCL 2, 9, UCL 3, 10, UCL 4, CDL 1, 15, UCL 5, 17, 18, CDF 1, 23, 24, UCL K1, 26, 27, UCL K2, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38
Last updated: 30 May 2009
Source: Match reports in Competitive matches
Only competitive matches.

Starting 11

Note: Formation shown indicates formation used in
club's league match against Toulouse on May 30.

Squad stats

Appearances and goals

Last updated on May 30, 2009.

No. Pos Nat Player TotalLigue 1Champions LeagueCoupe de la LigueCoupe de France
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK France FRA Hugo Lloris 450350800020
2 DF France FRA François Clerc 10090100000
3 DF Brazil BRA Cris 443342601130
4 DF France FRA Jean-Alain Boumsong 432321800031
5 MF France FRA Mathieu Bodmer 200170300000
6 MF Sweden SWE Kim Källström 412322601020
7 MF Brazil BRA Ederson 455355801010
8 MF Brazil BRA Juninho 3810297731010
10 FW France FRA Karim Benzema 46233617850021
11 DF Italy ITA Fabio Grosso 321221601030
12 DF France FRA Timothée Kolodziejczak 1010000000
13 MF France FRA Pierrick Valdivia 0000000000
14 FW France FRA Sidney Govou 192151410000
15 DF Ghana GHA John Mensah 170120400010
17 MF Cameroon CMR Jean Makoun 469357811021
18 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Miralem Pjanić 230200100020
19 FW Argentina ARG César Delgado 273202400031
20 DF France FRA Anthony Réveillère 231190410000
22 MF France FRA Clément Grenier 0000000000
23 FW Ivory Coast CIV Kader Keïta 293211511021
25 GK France FRA Joan Hartock 0000000000
26 MF Brazil BRA Fábio Santos 9060001020
27 FW France FRA Anthony Mounier 265182401033
28 MF France FRA Jérémy Toulalan 430330800020
29 FW France FRA Yannis Tafer 4030000010
30 GK France FRA Rémy Vercoutre 5030001010
31 MF France FRA Saïd Mehamha 0000000000
32 DF France FRA Lamine Gassama 10070101010
34 FW France FRA Jérémy Pied 0000000000
35 DF France FRA Thomas Fontaine 0000000000
36 DF France FRA Sébastien Faure 1000001000
38 FW France FRA Alexandre Lacazette 0000000000
39 FW France FRA Frédéric Piquionne 264192311031
Players sold/retired after the start of the season:
9 FW Brazil BRA Fred 204152421000

Other statistics

Last updated May 30, 2009

Note: For all competitive competitions

No. Pos. Nationality Player Assists Minutes Played
1GKFrance FranceHugo Lloris04070100
2DFFrance FranceFrançois Clerc0805000
3DFBrazil BrazilCris 138981000
4DFFrance FranceJean-Alain Boumsong13411300
5MFFrance FranceMathieu Bodmer01472000
6MFSweden SwedenKim Källström52710400
7MFBrazil BrazilEderson 22823400
8MFBrazil BrazilJuninho 62679811
9FWBrazil BrazilFred 11147200
10FWFrance FranceKarim Benzema43435200
11DFItaly ItalyFabio Grosso227481100
12DFFrance FranceTimothée Kolodziejczak079100
13MFFrance FrancePierrick Valdivia00000
14FWFrance FranceSidney Govou11284510
15DFGhana GhanaJohn Mensah01345320
17DFCameroon CameroonJean Makoun33650800
18MFBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and HerzegovinaMiralem Pjanić1714200
19MFArgentina ArgentinaCésar Delgado31450400
20DFFrance FranceAnthony Réveillère01952400
22MFFrance FranceClément Grenier00000
23FWIvory Coast Ivory CoastKader Keïta11653210
25GKFrance FranceJoan Hartock00000
26MFBrazil BrazilFábio Santos0485000
27FWFrance FranceAnthony Mounier21006000
28MFFrance FranceJérémy Toulalan23776900
29FWFrance FranceYannis Tafer151000
30GKFrance FranceRémy Vercoutre0450000
31MFFrance FranceSaïd Mehamha00000
32DFFrance FranceLamine Gassama0862400
34FWFrance FranceJérémy Pied00000
35DFFrance FranceThomas Fontaine00000
36DFFrance FranceSébastien Faure090100
38FWFrance FranceAlexandre Lacazette00000
39FWFrance FranceFrédéric Piquionne1926310

Reserves and Academy

2008–09 season
Championnat de France AmateursGroupe B, 7th
Championnat de France Amateurs PlayoffsChampions
Championnat National Under-181st[49]
Championnat National Under-18 Final PhaseEliminated[50]
Coupe GambardellaEliminated
Championnat National Under-161st[51]
Championnat National Under-16 2nd PhaseEliminated[52]
Top goalscorerLeague: Yannis Tafer (CFA) (4)
All: Yannis Tafer (CFA) (4)

The Olympique Lyonnais Reserves and Academy teams will also participate in seasonal activities this season. The second team, Olympique Lyonnais B, will participate in the Championnat de France Amateurs. The under-18 squad will participate in their league, the Championnat National Under-18 and the Coupe Gambardella. The under-16 squad will also participate in their league, Championnat National Under-16, as well as the Coupe Nationale des 16 ans, which is a regional tournament composed of regional squads that play against other regions. Lyon players selected will participate with the Rhône-Alpes team.

Match results

Note: For the squads of the CFA, Under-18, and the Under-16, click here and here.

Championnat de France Amateurs

Final stage

Championnat National Under-18

Final stage

Coupe Gambardella

Championnat National Under-16

2nd stage

Olympique Lyonnais Ladies

2008–09 season
ManagerFrance Farid Benstiti
D1 FéminineChampions
Challenge de FranceEliminated
UEFA Women's CupEliminated
Top goalscorerLeague: Kátia (22)
All: Kátia (28)

The Olympique Lyonnais Ladies will also participate in their respective activities this season. The ladies, just like their male counterparts, won the double last season. They will compete in the top tier French women's division, the Division 1 Féminine, the women's version of the Coupe de France, the Challenge de France, and the UEFA Women's Cup, where they will begin from the second qualifying round.

Note: For the Olympique Lyonnais women's squad, click here.

Division 1 Féminine

Challenge de France

Group B3

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 France Lyon 3 3 0 0 18 1 +17 9
2 England Arsenal Ladies 3 2 0 1 13 5 +8 6
3 Austria Neulengbach 3 1 0 2 5 17 12 3
4 Switzerland Zürich 3 0 0 3 6 19 13 0
Source:

Second Qualifying Round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

References

  1. COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
  2. Lyon: Carlos Queiroz pisté?
  3. Vanderlei Luxemburgo said he is unlikely to quit
  4. Puel 'Very Happy' With Lyon Move
  5. Claude Puel nouvel entraîneur général
  6. Eurosport.uk
  7. Hugo Lloris est Lyonnais
  8. Miralem Pjanic est Lyonnais
  9. "Jean II Makoun est lyonnais". Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  10. John Mensah est lyonnais
  11. Valdivia passe pro
  12. UNFP Trophies: OL players shine – Women's team: two-time French champions (DiR)
  13. Mehamha passe pro
  14. Thimothée Kolodziecziak est Lyonnais
  15. Paillot prêté à Grenoble Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Beynié prêté à Tubize". Archived from the original on 2008-08-24. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  17. Nice: Arrivée de Rémy
  18. "OFFICIEL: ACCORD POUR LE TRANSFERT DE BEN ARFA". Archived from the original on 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  19. Lyon Block Ben Arfa Move
  20. "Ben Arfa verra bien la Canebière". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  21. Squillaci completes Sevilla switch
  22. Atletico sign Coupet from Lyon
  23. VON BERGEN TO MISS EURO 2008 WITH HAND INJURY
  24. Sedan: Arrivée de Karaboué
  25. Chatearoux: Bouchard signe trois ans
  26. Troyes: Trois nouveaux joueurs
  27. Francesco Migliore signe à Mons
  28. Hamilton make late triple signing
  29. "Umbro strengthens ties with Lyon". Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  30. Lancement des maillots 2008/2009
  31. Les nouveaux maillots 2008/09, enfin dévoilés
  32. Benzema coup franc contre Saint-Etienne
  33. Les matchs amicaux de l'OL
  34. Le Trophée des Champions se jouera à Bordeaux
  35. French champions Lyon slump to first defeat
  36. Rennes 3-0 lyon, triplé de Pagis
  37. Lyon beats title rival Bordeaux 2-1 to move seven points ahead in standings
  38. Lyon defender Reveillere out for season
  39. Lyon held by lowly Valenciennes
  40. Nantes rallies to beat Lyon 2-1 in French league
  41. OL-OM : Record historique
  42. Lyon held 0-0 in top-of-table clash
  43. Caen v. Lyon Match Report
  44. Lyon v. Lorient Match Report
  45. Grenoble v. Lyon Match Report
  46. Lyon v. Saint-Etienne Match Report
  47. Nice v. Lyon Match Report
  48. Dates may change due to LFP scheduling structure
  49. CHAMPIONNAT NATIONAL 18 ANS Classement
  50. CHAMPIONNAT NATIONAL 18 ANS Phase2
  51. CHAMPIONNAT NATIONAL 16 ANS Classement
  52. CHAMPIONNAT NATIONAL 16 ANS Phase2 GROUPE 1
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