Lorient delivered a bitter blow to Paulo Fonseca on his comeback, sealing a 1–0 victory at the Stade du Moustoir thanks to a decisive goal from Pablo Pagis just before the interval. The result leaves Lyon even further from the Ligue 1 top spots as Matchday 15 concluded over the weekend.

The Portuguese manager returned to the bench after serving a nine-month suspension. He was sanctioned last March for confronting referee Benoît Millot during a match against Brest, even appearing to move toward him as if to headbutt. After 279 days away, Fonseca finally stepped back onto the sideline to lead Lyon once again.

Lyon Falls Back Into Trouble

Despite showing signs of improvement the previous week with a win over Nantes, breaking a four-match winless streak, Lyon quickly regressed. Reduced to ten men early in the second half after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off for a second yellow card, the visitors struggled to create danger or respond to Lorient’s intensity.

The decisive moment came on the brink of halftime when Pagis beat Slovak goalkeeper Dominik Greif, finishing off a brilliant individual play by Senegalese forward Sambou Soumano.

The defeat drops Lyon to fifth place, now five points behind fourth-placed Lille, and level with Stade Rennes. The pressure mounts as their chase for European positions becomes more complicated.

Lorient Climbs Out of the Danger Zone

For Lorient, the win marks a crucial boost in their fight against relegation. After defeating Nice the previous weekend, they secured back-to-back victories for the first time in months, ending a seven-match drought.

The three points lift them to 13th place, now five clear of the relegation zone—an important shift in momentum for a squad that had been entrenched at the bottom of the table just weeks ago.