Olympique Lyonnais secured a 1-0 win at Nantes on Saturday, marking their 12th consecutive victory across all competitions. The result propelled Lyon to third place in Ligue 1, securing the final UEFA Champions League spot. American midfielder Tanner Tessmann played a key role in the match, continuing his rise toward a potential USMNT World Cup squad.
Olympique Lyonnais continued their remarkable run on Saturday, defeating Nantes 1-0 in Ligue 1 to extend an unbeaten streak to 12 matches across all competitions. The victory, which began on December 11, includes six straight wins in Ligue 1, three in the French Cup to reach the quarterfinals, and three in the Europa League to top their group in the 36-team opening stage.
The game at Nantes tested Lyon's resolve when a red card reduced them to 10 men for the final half-hour. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Lyon's defense held firm, with Nantes hitting the post but failing to equalize. This result has lifted Lyon to third in the Ligue 1 standings—the final berth for next season's Champions League— a significant improvement from their sixth-place finishes in the previous two seasons and their last top-three finish in 2019.
At the heart of Lyon's surge is 24-year-old American defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann, born in Alabama and godson to Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney. Tessmann missed the first two games of the streak due to a thigh injury but has since featured in all 10, starting six of the last eight Ligue 1 matches and substituting in the others. Overall, the FC Dallas homegrown product has appeared in 19 of 21 Ligue 1 games this season, starting 16.
Tessmann's form comes at an opportune time for the US men's national team. After captaining the U.S. at the 2024 Olympics in France and integrating into the senior squad under Mauricio Pochettino—where he started twice, substituted twice last fall, and scored in a 5-1 rout of Uruguay—his role could expand with Tyler Adams recovering from a knee injury. Pochettino is expected to call him up for March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta.
Lyon's unbeaten run without a single draw underscores their momentum as they chase European qualification and domestic honors.
