Pré-saison
05 August 2026
OL Lyonnes, rotating their entire roster, kicked off their preseason with a draw (1-1) against Real Sociedad.
Highlights
- 35’ Cecilia Marcos’s cross finds Arola Aparico in the box, who opens the scoring (0-1).
- 64’ BUT ! Lily Yohannes delivers a perfect through ball to Jule Brand for the equalizer (1-1).
Summary
In the first half, Jonatan Giráldez opted to field a young defensive line consisting of Maïssa Fathallah, Wassa Sangaré, and Maïwenn Olivier alongside Selma Bacha. It was also Salma Paralluelo’s debut in her new Lyon colors. The Spanish player already seemed comfortable and showed some promising chemistry with her new teammates. After some strong play by Lyon early in the match—including a shot by Korbin Shrader (23′) followed by an attempt by Melchie Dumornay (24′), both saved by Real Sociedad’s goalkeeper—it was the Spanish side that opened the scoring in the 35th minute through Arola Aparicio. Despite another fine combination between Selma Bacha, Salma Paralluelo, and Marie-Antoinette Katoto (42′) and Lyon’s dominance in possession, Real Sociedad held the lead at halftime.
It’s a new half, and OL Lyonnes has a new starting 11, with Mala Grohs taking over in goal and Scottish player Caroline Weir—another new signing from this summer’s transfer window—joining the lineup. The Lyonnes created more chances in this period, notably a shot by Inès Benyahia that hit the post (60′). Lyon remained the more dangerous side in this half, and their efforts finally paid off in the 64th minute. Lily Yohannes played a perfect through ball to Jule Brand deep in midfield. The German beat the goalkeeper to score Lyon’s first goal of the 2026–2027 season and tie the score in this first friendly match (1–1). Real Sociedad had a great chance late in the match (86′) on a free kick just outside the box, but Mala Grohs stopped the attempt. The two teams thus parted ways with a 1-1 draw.
Jonatan Giráldez
“It was a tough game today, but that’s to be expected. We started our preparation three weeks ago, and we’ve been doing a lot of training sessions. The score isn’t important. What mattered most today was giving everyone playing time and trying to be on the same page on the field. It’s up to us to continue our preparation in the best way possible to raise our level of play for the next friendly match.”
Next friendly match
OL Lyonnes vs Eintracht Francfort
Following this first home friendly, the Lyon women’s team will travel to Herzogenaurach, Germany, next week for their training camp, which will take place from August 13 to 21 at the adidas campus. Their next friendly match will be played there on August 16 (1:00 p.m., live on OL Play) against Eintracht Frankfurt, whom they faced last season during preseason.
Pagination
Match sheet
- At GOLTC
- Friendly : OL Lyonnes – Real Sociedad
- Goals : A.Aparicio (35′) for Real Sociedad ; Brand (64′) for OL Lyonnes
- Warning : Campo (90′) for Real Sociedad
- OL Lyonnes (1st half) : Endler – Bacha, Sangaré, Olivier, Fathallah (Olando, 36′) – Dumornay, Shrader (Ouazar, 36′), Swierot – Paralluelo, Katoto, Becho. Coach : Jonatan Giráldez.
- OL Lyonnes (2nd half) : Grohs – Rafalski, Engen, Tarciane, Lawrence – Damaris, Yohannes, Benyahia – Brand, Hegerberg, Weir.
- Real Sociedad : Estensoro – Moraza (Aiara, 32′), Florentino (Soroa, 46′), N.Aparicio – Marcos, Cahynova, Laborde, A.Aparicio (Chacón, 46′) – Egiguren, Camino (Moraza, 46′), Seelenfreund (Isasisasmendi, 46′). Coach : Arturo Ruiz Alvarez.
