Matteo Guendouzi Sparks Wild Tunnel Brawl as Lyon Coach Appears to Launch Flying Kick After Fenerbahce Win

Matteo Guendouzi found himself at the centre of extraordinary scenes after Fenerbahce’s Champions League victory over Lyon descended into a furious tunnel brawl.

The former Arsenal midfielder appeared to be confronted by Lyon goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira moments after the final whistle, with footage from the stands seemingly showing the coach emerging from the tunnel and attempting to launch a flying kick at the Frenchman.

The astonishing confrontation came after Guendouzi had appeared to provoke Lyon supporters while making his way off the pitch following Fenerbahce’s 2-1 victory at the Groupama Stadium.

The 27-year-old’s actions reportedly enraged members of the Lyon staff, with French newspaper L’Equipe identifying the man involved as Ferreira, the club’s goalkeeping coach.

What followed was chaos.

Players and staff rush into the tunnel

Video filmed from the stands appeared to show Ferreira coming out of the tunnel as Guendouzi walked away from the pitch.

The coach seemingly aimed a flying kick in the midfielder’s direction, prompting players and members of both coaching staffs to rush towards the tunnel.

A violent melee then broke out.

Ferreira was eventually pinned against a wall while punches appeared to be thrown towards him. Security personnel were forced to intervene as players and coaches from both teams were held back in an attempt to prevent the confrontation from escalating further.

The extraordinary scenes brought an explosive end to an already heated Champions League play-off.

Guendouzi had been at the heart of the controversy throughout the night.

Guendouzi had already enraged Lyon supporters

The former Arsenal player has a particularly difficult relationship with Lyon supporters after spending two seasons with the club’s fierce rivals Marseille.

Guendouzi made 103 appearances for Marseille and was repeatedly targeted by home fans during the match, with boos and jeers directed towards him.

Rather than ignore the hostility, he appeared to respond by repeatedly showing the Lyon supporters the middle finger, including before kick-off and during the match.

Tempers also reportedly boiled over on the pitch.

When Fenerbahce went 2-0 ahead, Guendouzi was accused of shouting an inflammatory message towards his opponents. Lyon players reacted angrily at the final whistle, with the Frenchman reportedly being shoved before his Fenerbahce team-mates, including Ederson and Romelu Lukaku, intervened to defend him.

Guendouzi then appeared to continue taunting the Lyon fans as he headed towards the tunnel, once again making a reference to his time at Marseille.

His team-mates reportedly tried to calm him down, but he continued celebrating — and the situation ultimately spilled over into the extraordinary post-match confrontation.

The fallout could now put both clubs at risk of disciplinary action from UEFA.

Tolisso tells Guendouzi to ‘stay humble’

Lyon captain Corentin Tolisso was critical of Guendouzi’s conduct after the match.

“You have to stay humble in victory, go celebrate that with your team in the locker room,” Tolisso said.

“Well done, congratulations to them, but there’s no real need to do that.”

The comments came after a night in which emotions repeatedly threatened to boil over.

For Guendouzi, however, this was not an isolated incident.

Arsenal controversy followed Guendouzi throughout his career

Guendouzi joined Arsenal in 2018 but his time in north London ultimately ended after he was banished from Mikel Arteta’s squad in the summer of 2020.

The midfielder had been involved in an infamous confrontation with Brighton forward Neal Maupay during the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ period.

Guendouzi had reportedly taunted Brighton players over their salaries and ability during the match at the Amex Stadium. At full-time, television cameras captured him grabbing Maupay by the throat.

He never played for Arsenal again.

The Gunners subsequently sent him on loan to Hertha Berlin before he moved to Marseille.

His disciplinary history stretched back even further. During his time at Lorient, Guendouzi was excluded from the first team for more than three months following a dressing-room clash with team-mates.

Fenerbahce advance as Lyon drop into Europa League

Away from the chaos, Fenerbahce secured their place in the Champions League league phase with a 2-1 victory in Lyon.

The result gave the Turkish side a 3-2 aggregate win and sent them into Thursday’s league-phase draw.

Fenerbahce will be placed in Pot Three, with the draw scheduled to begin at 5pm UK time.

Lyon, meanwhile, will drop into the Europa League.

But the result itself may not be the only thing remembered from this dramatic night in France. The extraordinary scenes involving Guendouzi and Ferreira could now leave UEFA with another issue to deal with after an already fiery Champions League encounter.