Lacazette was in fine fettle up front as he played his first match for Olympique Lyonnais - and his first match in Ligue 1 Uber Eats - in five years, with a maiden goal from the spot, but not everything went according to plan as he made his grand return to the Groupama Stadium.

'Keep working'

A first-half red card for OL 'keeper Anthony Lopes gave the home side a scare, but goals from Tetê and Lacazette (penalty) held them in good stead. The second half proved a less dramatic affair, with Toulouse's also seeing red as Lacazette and Lyon held out for the win.

"The stats are all there, but as far as the match and the team are concerned, we can do better. After all, it's only the first game of the season and it's good to win it," said the OL captain. "We were certainly worried, because of last season, about playing hard and then getting countered at the end of the game. We weren't confident enough to play comfortably until the end. We will work on that to be better at it. We still have a lot of room for improvement, which is promising. We're going to keep working."

Elder statesman

So what is Lacazette's role in the squad?

"On a personal level, I'm not necessarily more selfless than I used to be but I am there on the pitch and in the dressing room with my teammates," explained the former Gunner. "Johann Lepenant [a new arrival from Caen, who impressed on debut in central midfield] is very shy - he doesn't talk much if at all - and I try to help him. He is the kind of player who has a lot of qualities but lacks confidence."

Lacazette and Lyon's next challenge comes in the form of their Round 2 trip to the Stade du Moustoir to face Lorient on Sunday afternoon.

>> MATCH REPORT: Lacazette kicks Lyon off with win