Lyon slumped to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Metz on Sunday that ended a long unbeaten run and allowed Paris Saint-Germain to stay top of Ligue 1.
Rudi Garcia’s side had come into Sunday’s late match on the back of 16 league games without defeat, knowing that a win would have put them back in the lead of France’s top flight.
However Aaron Leya Iseka struck in the final minute to snatch the points for resilient Metz, who had to withstand a second-half onslaught before finally prevailing and moving ninth.
“We pushed, they pushed, and we were rewarded for our efforts. We knew that we would have little of the ball and that we would have to counter well, and that’s what we did,” said Belgian Leya Iseka.
The loss leaves Lyon third, two points behind PSG and Lille, whose own late goal from Jonathan David secured a 2-1 win over Reims.
Lyon should have taken the lead six minutes before the break when Karl Toko Ekambi was fed by Tintotenda Kadewere on a breakaway attack.
Cameroonian Ekambi, who had forced a good save from Alexandre Oukidja three minutes earlier, successfully cut inside to fashion himself a shooting opportunity but could only blast over.
Three minutes later Metz twice came close to taking a shock lead, first hitting the post following a Farid Boulaya cross before Marcelo charged back to block Lamine Gueye’s shot on the line.
With 16 minutes remaining Ekambi slammed home what he thought was the opener when the ball fell to him after fine play between Memphis Depay and Thiago Mendes.
However after a long VAR review the goal was ruled out for Houssem Aouar straying offside when Mendes shot and then pressuring Metz defender Fabien Centonze, who had nodded the ball out to Ekambi.
Islam Slimani had the perfect chance to win the match with seven minutes left of his Lyon debut but he shanked his shot, and Oukidja then did brilliant to keep out Aouar’s close range effort after fine work from Memphis Depay.
