Šulc Strike and Greif Heroics Lift Lyon Past Le Havre in Tight Ligue 1 Contest
Olympique Lyonnais strengthened their push for European football with a narrow 1-0 victory over Le Havre at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, maintaining their dominance in this fixture with just one defeat in 13 home head-to-head meetings. Pavel Šulc’s second-half header proved decisive, while goalkeeper Dominik Greif delivered a standout performance to preserve the clean sheet.
The visitors, who have yet to concede inside the opening quarter-hour this season, nearly saw that record broken immediately after kick-off. Martín Satriano’s close-range header looked destined for the net with Mory Diaw stranded, but the woodwork and covering defenders kept Le Havre level. Lyon continued to apply pressure and thought they had earned a penalty when Loïc Négo appeared to handle inside the box, only for referee Marc Bollengier to dismiss appeals after a VAR check.
Le Havre were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead before half-time when Tyler Morton fouled Gautier Lloris, resulting in a penalty. Issa Soumaré stepped up, but Greif produced a superb save to keep the scoreline goalless at the break.
Seven minutes into the second half, Lyon finally broke through. Afonso Moreira’s delivery found Šulc, who headed past Diaw to notch his team-leading goal of the season. Morton squandered a chance to extend the lead moments later, blazing over from Šulc’s clever pass. Le Havre threatened sporadically, with Mbwana Samatta denied by Greif’s outstretched leg and substitute Noam Obougou seeing his close-range effort brilliantly saved late on.
The victory lifted Lyon above Stade Rennais into fifth place, keeping alive hopes of a return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2019/20. For Le Havre, the defeat leaves them hovering just three points above the relegation play-off spot, with only three wins from their opening 16 matches.
Šulc’s clinical finish and Greif’s heroics ensured Lyon’s dominance over Le Havre continued, as Les Gones march on in pursuit of Europe’s elite competition.