Nakamura assists twice as Lyon beat Crystal Palace 3-2

Lyon defeated Crystal Palace 3-2 at Groupama Stadium in the UEFA Europa League League Stage - 2 on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Lyon led 2-0 at half-time before Palace reduced the deficit twice, but the hosts held on for the win.

Lyon build an early lead, Palace respond

Corentin Tolisso scored the opener for Lyon in the 8th minute, making it 1-0. Ernest Nuamah doubled the advantage in the 45th minute, with Keito Nakamura providing the assist for a 2-0 scoreline.

Yeremy Pino pulled one back for Crystal Palace in the 50th minute after an assist from Adam Wharton, narrowing the score to 2-1. Pavel Šulc restored Lyon’s two-goal lead in the 76th minute, again assisted by Nakamura, to make it 3-1. Daichi Kamada’s 81st-minute goal made it 3-2, the final score.

Palace matched the pressure but not the finish

The statistics suggest a closely balanced contest. Lyon had 51% possession and 491 total passes to Palace’s 488, while Palace registered 12 shots to Lyon’s 11. Both teams had four shots on goal. Lyon’s expected goals were 2.12 compared with Palace’s 1.62, supporting the narrow winning margin.

Palace received three yellow cards: Ismaila Sarr in the 36th minute, Pino in the 56th and Chris Richards in the 82nd. Lyon’s only yellow card went to Nakamura in the 58th minute.

Lyon move to eighth

Lyon are ranked #8 with 6 points from 2 games, three points ahead of Crystal Palace, who are ranked #15 with 3 points from 2 games. Juventus lead with 6 points, so Lyon trail the leaders by 0 points. Nakamura was the standout performer, rating 8.1 after 90 minutes with two assists and four key passes.