DECINES-CHARPIEU, France (Jan. 29, 2026) (Interstat) — Olympique Lyonnais opened its Europa League campaign with a 4-2 victory over PAOK on Thursday at Groupama Stadium, overcoming an early deficit in a match that defied pregame projections.

PAOK’s Giorgos Giakoumakis opened the scoring in the 20th minute, but Lyon responded with three unanswered goals from Rémi Himbert, Khalis Merah and Soualiho Meïté. PAOK’s Ioannis Konstantelias received a red card in the 40th minute, forcing his team to play a man down for over 50 minutes. Adam Karabec pulled one back for PAOK late before Lyon’s Alejandro Rodriguez sealed the win in stoppage time. The result contradicted statistical models that heavily favored the Greek side. Lyon begins the group stage with a win, while PAOK starts with a loss.