Anderlecht remembers its duels against Lyon, friendship and lessons

Anderlecht's defeat in 2009 in the Champions League qualifiers ended its hopes of qualification, recalling a football lesson inflicted on the Mauve & White by the Lyon side. This setback is part of a rivalry that dates back to 2003, when a young Vincent Kompany shone in a 1‑0 victory.

A friendship between supporters

The ultras of Sporting Anderlecht and Olympique Lyonnais have maintained an unbreakable friendship since the mid‑2000s, recently celebrated for its twenty years. In the stands of Lotto Park and Groupama Stadium, tifos and banners pay tribute to the other group, recalling the links between the Mauve Army 2003 and the Lyon 1950 group. This brotherhood also shows up off the pitch, with Lyon supporters enjoying a sunny day on a terrace without any tension.

This Wednesday, the OL ultras roamed around the city, the atmosphere relaxed, no quarrels in sight. However, the organizers anticipate friction in January, when the Mauve & White will travel to Marseille to support the other Olympique, a trip that could test the strength of their friendship.

Memories of the first clash 2003

On 23 November 2003, Olympique Lyonnais traveled to the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium for the Champions League group stage, facing Sporting Anderlecht, which fielded a nostalgic base eleven. Among the players were Daniel Zitka, Deschacht, Hannu Tihinen, the trio Hasi‑Zetterberg‑Baseggio, Marcin Kolar, Michal Zewlakow, as well as the duo Mornar‑Wilhelmsson. Vincent Kompany, then seventeen years old, delivered an outstanding performance, contributing to the brief 1‑0 victory of the Mauve.

The goalkeeper trained at OL played one of his seventeen matches with Lyon at Parc Astrid, highlighting the cross ties between the two clubs. Nicolas Puydebois, present on the set of “As long as there are Gones”, remembers the smile that accompanied that goal and the jersey exchange with Daniel Zitka after the match.

The 2015 setback and its consequences

About six years later, the fourth qualifying round of the Champions League saw the Mauve & White suffer a heavy defeat at Gerland, crushed 5‑1 by the Lyon side. The Lyon scorers were Bafetimbi Gomis, Miralem Pjanić, Lisandro López and Michel Bastos, a lineup that fed the scorer's list. Between 2003 and 2015, the Gones had added five French league titles, imposing a tyranny only broken by the LOSC of Eden Hazard and the rise of PSG under QSI.

The second leg did not allow Anderlecht to save its honour: Ariel Jacobs rotated his team, relegating Suarez, Proto and Biglia, starters of the first leg, to the bench in favour of Schollen, Saré and Chatelle. The final score of 1‑3 was highlighted by Lisandro López's hat‑trick, applauded by the Parc Astrid crowd.