Choc des Olympiques


The Choc des Olympiques is the name of the football local derby between two major teams in French football with "Olympique" in its names – Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille. The French major football broadcaster Canal+ calls this game "Olympico" referring also to El Clásico; the Olympico name has gained currency elsewhere. It specifically refers to individual matches between the teams. Unlike Le Classique, the rivalry has no bad blood within it and, instead, stems from the competitiveness of the each club's players, managers, supporters, and presidential hierarchy. The rivalry is often cited as being particularly important as both clubs are of high standard in French football and the championship is regularly decided between the two. Marseille and Lyon are the only French clubs to have won the French first division four straight times with Marseille doing it on two occasions. The Rivalry is also comparable with that of between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund better known as "Borussen Derby" in Germany.

History

The first meeting between the two sides was played on 23 September 1945 and ended in a 1–1 draw. Following Jean-Michel Aulas's acquisition of Olympique Lyonnais in 1987, the rivalry entered a more competitive environment. In 1989, Marseille began an impressive streak of five consecutive French league titles, though the fifth and final title was stripped, due to the Bernard Tapie scandal, which saw the club relegated to the second division. Marseille also won the 1993 edition of the European Cup. One notable match during the streak was a 7–0 thrashing of Lyon by Marseille during the 1990–91 season.
Following Marseille's relegation to the second division and eventual return, Lyon got revenge during the 1996–97 season hammering Marseille 8–0 at the Stade de Gerland with all of their goals coming inside 55 minutes. The win, to this day, remains Lyon's biggest league victory. Lyon eventually began to ascend the French football ladder and, at the start of the new millennium, began a streak of seven consecutive French league titles, easily surpassing Marseille's streak of four. During Lyon's national record-breaking streak, Marseille finished runner-up only once, during the 2007–08 season.

Notable matches

As of 10 November 2019, there have been 102 competitive league meetings between the two teams since its first league meeting. Lyon do hold the advantage in the league having won 34 matches to Marseille's 30. The most goals in one game were scored in the closely contested 5–5 draw at the Stade de Gerland on 8 November 2009. The biggest winning margin was an 8–0 home win by Lyon on 24 May 1997. Seven years earlier, Marseille defeated Lyon 7–0.
Of the 102 league matches contested, Lyon and Marseille have each scored 160 goals. Marseille's record for goals scored against Lyon is six and is held by Mamadou Niang, who has been with Marseille since 2004 and, at one point, had scored in four straight Choc des Olympiques. Lyon's record is held by Sonny Anderson who also attained six goals. He is followed by Sidney Govou and Juninho, who both scored five.

Summary of results

As of 12 February 2020
PlayedLyon winsDrawsMarseille winsLyon goalsMarseille goals
Ligue 1100343828160158
Ligue 2200202
Coupe de France114251213
Coupe de la Ligue210122
Trophée des Champions000000
Coupe Charles Drago110010
Total116404036175175

Crossing the Olympics

Due to the club's ongoing rivalry, few players have played for both Lyon and Marseille. Notable players include the Ghanaian Abedi Pele, who won the African Footballer of the Year award, defender Manuel Amoros, and goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta. All three players had been part of the Marseille dynasty that won five straight French league titles and the European Cup in 1993. Amoros is the only player in the rivalry's history to transfer from one club to another, then transfer back to the previous club. Amoros had played for Marseille from 1987–1993, then spent two years at Lyon, before returning to Marseille in 1995. Others who played for both clubs include Sonny Anderson, who had one respectable season at Marseille and later joined Lyon becoming one of the club's most prominent players, Hatem Ben Arfa, who developed into a prodigy at Lyon before departing to Marseille under bad circumstances, and Florian Maurice, who was one of Lyon's most influential players during the mid-1990s before leaving for the south coast having two solid seasons there.

OM, then OL

OL, then OM