Lyon sack head coach Sage after Nantes draw

Lyon were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-battling Nantes 1-1 in the French top flight on Sunday, extending their winless run to five matches across all competitions.

Mostafa Mohamed scored in the 90th minute to salvage the draw for Nantes after Lyon led through Ernest Nuamah's 10th-minute goal.

They are sixth in the league table after 19 matches, having recorded just one win in their last five, and they were also knocked out of the Coupe de France by fifth-division side Bourgoin-Jallieu on penalties earlier this month.

"Olympique Lyonnais have been compelled to suspend coach Sage and staff members Jamal Alioui, Rui Lemos, Denis Valour and Remy Vercoutre, pending a decision in the next few days," the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

Full time at the Beaujoire.1-1 #FCNOL pic.twitter.com/K5TL4jyve9

— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL_English) January 26, 2025

"This sporting decision, made in the current context of the 2024-2025 season, does not call into question the tremendous work carried out at the beginning of 2024, for which Lyon will always be grateful to Sage and his team."

Sage joined Lyon in November 2023 in an interim role, which was made permanent with a contract until 2026 after he led them to a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season.

Lyon are fifth in the 36-team Europa League table having won four and drawn two of their seven matches.

They sit one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United and four behind table toppers Lazio.