The Ibrox Stadium had served as a fortress in the UEFA Europa League, with Rangers aiming to leverage the electric atmosphere for an early advantage. Within the first ten minutes, James Tavernier had a close-range volley saved, followed by Vaclav Cerny missing an open goal from the rebound. However, Lyon quickly seized control, with Rayan Cherki orchestrating a beautiful move that led to Malick Fofana scoring the opening goal. Rangers equalized shortly after due to a defensive blunder, allowing Tom Lawrence to capitalize on a misplayed header by Corentin Tolisso. Unfortunately for the hosts, Lyon responded swiftly, with Fofana taking advantage of a poor pass from Barron and setting up Alexandre Lacazette for the second goal. Lacazette later capped off a brilliant first half with a stunning strike in stoppage time to extend Lyon's lead, silencing the Ibrox crowd.