Lyon vs Saint-Étienne: 5 Classic Clashes in the Derby Rhône-Alpes
By Lee Bushe
The Derby Rhône-Alpes is part of 90min's 50 Biggest Derbies in the World Series
Saint-Étienne vs Lyon. Considered to be, by quite some distance, the biggest local derby in French football.
Safe to say, this derby has played host to some of the country's most memorable fixtures, from complete and utter drubbings, to last minute drama and to some more controversial incidents.
An overview of the Derby Rhône-Alpes can be found here. But for now, let's take a look at five of the most notable clashes between the fierce rivals that are Saint-Étienne and Lyon.
Lyon 4-5 Saint-Étienne (1963)
This late 1963 clash was not only the highest-scoring match in Derby Rhône-Alpes history, but also one of its most dramatic.
Saint-Étienne took an early lead through Les Verts legend Rachid Mekloufi in the eighth minute, before Jacques Foix got their second nine minutes later. This lead would last just 10 minutes though, with Lyon's Angel Rambert bagging a quick-fire brace.
Les Gones scored their third - and secured a leading position - through Jean-Louis Rivoire in the 65th minute, but Mekloufi got Saint-Étienne's equaliser a short time later. This too wouldn't last long, with Rambert completing a hat-trick to put Lyon back in the lead in the 78th minute.
It wasn't to be for Lyon, however, as Saint-Étienne scored their fourth and the fifth - both Andre Guy goals - to seal a win for Les Verts, who would go on to win the title that season.
Lyon 1-7 Saint-Étienne (1969)
To date the heaviest home defeat in Lyon's top-flight history, Les Gones were trounced 7-1 on their own turf by their fierce rivals, who were at their peak at the time having just won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles.
Saint-Étienne's all-time top-scorer, Herve Revelli, opened his account for the day with a goal in the 21st minute, before a Lyon own goal put Les Verts 2-0 up 11 minutes before half-time. Coming back out for the second-half, Saint-Étienne's Jean-Michael Larque scored in the 49th minute, and Georges Polny added their fourth just a minute later. Salif Keita scored two within the space of just two minutes shortly after to all but secure the victory for Saint-Étienne.
The humiliation was complete when Revelli scored a second five minutes before full-time. Les Verts wouldn't be able to make the short journey home with a clean sheet, however, with Andre Perrin scoring a consolation for Lyon in the 87th minute.
Saint-Étienne 2-3 Lyon (2004)
By 2004, the fortunes of both teams had significantly changed. Lyon were now the dominant side in Ligue 1, having just won three consecutive league titles. Saint-Étienne, on the other hand, had just returned to the top-flight after a three-year absence. Safe to say, Lyon were expected to give their rivals a good beating.
Lyon legend and free-kick king Juninho Pernambucano scored opened Les Gones' account in the 35th minute with a free-kick (of course). In the second-half, Saint-Étienne's Nicolas Marin scored an equaliser, before Pascal Feinduono scored Les Verts' second to put them in the lead.
It was a position they would retain for much of the second-half, but it wasn't to be. Saint-Étienne goalkeeper Jeremie Janot fouled Sidney Govou in the 18-yard box in the 85th minute, conceding a penalty. Juninho duly stepped up to take it and Janot dived the right way, saving it, but pushed the ball back towards the feet of Juninho, who scored. Lyon put themselves back into the lead in stoppage time with a Govou strike, securing a somewhat unearned victory.
Lyon 0-1 Saint-Étienne (2010)
Lyon had become so dominant over the years to the extent where Saint-Étienne had failed to beat them in over 16 years prior to this fixture. And what better place to secure a long-awaited derby win than at the home of your opponent.
The two sides were even for much of the game before Les Verts' Dimitri Payet, who would later gain a reputation for being a game-changer while at West Ham, scored a spectacular, long-range free-kick in the 75th minute, leading the travelling Saint-Étienne fans to go berserk.
Saint-Étienne 0-5 Lyon (2017)
Passions were already running high prior to this game - with the match being delayed for seven minutes shortly after kick-off due to smoke from flares impairing the visibility of the pitch.
Saint-Étienne set the tone for the game 10 minutes in, after a woeful Romain Hamouma corner somehow found its way into the feet of Lyon's Nabil Fekir - who was way outside the box, by the way. Fekir began a Lyon counter-attack which culminated in Memphis Depay scoring Les Gones' first goal.
It was a total humiliation - all at Saint-Étienne's stadium too. Fekir scored a goal of his own shortly after Depay's, before Mariano Diaz and Bertrand Traore scored Lyon's third and fourth in the second-half.
The most memorable (and controversial) incident came in the 84th minute, after Fekir scored Lyon's fifth. He celebrated by taking off his shirt and displaying it to the Saint-Étienne fans. Some loudly booed him, others invaded the pitch. The match subsequently had to be paused for 20 minutes as riot police removed furious fans from the pitch, and the last five minutes of the game were played in a virtually empty stadium.