Olympique Lyonnais 0-2 AS Monaco: Monaco makes it two wins from two after convincing victory at Lyon

Monaco commenced their Ligue 1 season with back-to-back victories for the second consecutive year, securing a 2-0 win against a winless Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.

Lyon's disappointing 3-0 loss to Rennes marked an unfortunate beginning to their season, especially after concluding the previous campaign in strong form. However, based on the first half's performance, it was evident that preventing Monaco from scoring would prove to be a significant challenge.

The visitors initiated the match with a positive approach, maintaining possession, although they did not manage to test Lyon’s new goalkeeper, Lucas Perri.

This control nearly resulted in an early goal when Takumi Minamino penetrated the box, forcing a fingertip save that sent the ball ricocheting off the far post.

Historically, none of the last 18 encounters between the two teams had ended in a draw, and despite a scoreless first half, it appeared that this trend would persist, particularly as Breel Embolo posed a threat by shooting over shortly after the break.

Ultimately, it was not until the 65th minute that Lyon's defense was finally breached, with Maghnes Akliouche assisting Eliesse Ben Seghir, who managed to slot his shot into the bottom corner while facing pressure in the box.

The home side required a response to avoid suffering their first home defeat in seven league meetings against Monaco, yet it was the visitors who continued to appear more likely to score as the match approached its final 15 minutes.

Hopes of a Lyon turnaround appeared fanciful, and when Lamine Camara tucked an effort inside the right post from Kassoum Ouattara’s pick-out, the points were sealed for the Monegasques.

Last season, Lyon started their top-flight campaign with back-to-back losses for the first time since 1966/67, and despite an upturn in results at the start of the calendar year, Les Gones are back where they started, once again suffering successive defeats to begin the Ligue 1 season.

As for Monaco, some gloss was taken off the victory by a pair of yellow cards for Camara in stoppage time, but with two wins from two it's the perfect start for Adi Hutter, as he looks to bridge last season’s six-point gap to champions Paris Saint-Germain.