Lyon rescued a 1-1 draw against Le Havre at the Groupama Stadium on Saturday, courtesy of an 87th-minute equaliser from striker Lois Openda.
The Ligue 1 result comes days after Paulo Fonseca's side were eliminated from the Champions League playoffs by Fenerbahce on Wednesday. Lyon, who won their opening fixture at Toulouse with a rotated squad, struggled to break down a resilient Le Havre defence.
Lyon had opportunities to take the lead in the first half. Captain Corentin Tolisso found himself unmarked six metres from goal in the 13th minute, but fired his shot over the crossbar.
The hosts hit the post two minutes later. Le Havre goalkeeper Mpasi completely misjudged a powerful cross from Openda, but the ball struck the woodwork and bounced clear.
First half woodwork
Le Havre responded in the 24th minute with an individual effort from Ndiaye. The attacker evaded Nicolas Tagliafico before striking the post of Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif.
Lyon struggled to replicate the form attacking players Ernest Nuamah, Morton, Boudache and Openda showed against Fenerbahce. Nuamah delivered a precise cross just before half time, but Openda was inches away from converting.
Lyon began to press forward early in the second half. Nuamah sent a shot from the edge of the penalty area a metre wide of the post in the 56th minute. Three minutes later, Openda narrowly missed the top corner following a dangerous cross from Tolisso that was deflected by the goalkeeper.
Disallowed goal
The home side thought they had broken the deadlock in the 64th minute. Following a free kick from the left by substitute Malik Fofana, Tolisso capitalised on a hesitant exit by Mpasi to find the net. However, the goal was ruled out for offside after a video assistant referee review.
Le Havre took the lead in the 74th minute through Samatta, silencing the home crowd. Lyon appeared frozen after conceding and struggled to mount an immediate response.
Openda finally found a breakthrough for the hosts with three minutes of normal time remaining, beating a Le Havre defence that had looked impenetrable for much of the match.
Stoppage time drama
The match saw a frantic conclusion deep into stoppage time. Nakamura appeared to win the game for Le Havre in the 93rd minute on a rapid counter attack. Greif saved the initial effort, but Nakamura converted the rebound, only for the referee to disallow the goal for a foul by a Le Havre player in the build up.
Lyon pushed for a late winner, but Mpasi produced a crucial save in the 97th minute to deny a header from Sulc, ensuring the points were shared.
