The ‘win or bust’ situation Lyon faced after last week’s defeat in Prague was heavily reflected in their lightning-quick start, which almost yielded an opener inside three minutes, when Ernest Nuamah’s corner was flicked narrowly wide of the post by Abner Vinicius.
The Czech side’s worst fears were realised a matter of moments later though, when Jakub Surovcik spilt Corentin Tolisso’s stinging drive to the grateful feet of Nuamah, who fired the rebound into the bottom corner.
Tolisso was proving elusive for Sparta, and he ought to have fired Lyon ahead on aggregate soon after when he swept Lois Openda’s delivery handsomely over the bar despite being left unmarked 12 yards from goal.
Pressure was building on the Sparta goal, with a stunning double save from Surovcik to deny Malick Fofana keeping them level on aggregate at the half-hour mark.
The hosts’ pressure eventually forced an error, though, as when Openda looked to be breaking clear in behind, he had his heels clipped by Adam Sevinsky, and referee Szymon Marciniak had no hesitation in brandishing a red card.
The break came at a good time for Sparta, who were able to stem Lyon’s flow after the interval, albeit without offering much attacking threat of their own.
But the hosts sparked back into life on the hour mark through Tyler Morton, who first fired a low effort straight at Surovcik – which the latter was able to repel – before the former Liverpool man cannoned an effort against the crossbar with the Sparta stopper beaten.
Yet, that proved to be nothing more than a temporary reprieve for the visitors, who found themselves behind on aggregate midway through the second half when Ainsley Maitland-Niles ghosted in at the back post to tap home Tolisso’s teasing delivery.
With a man disadvantage, Sparta faced what seemed an insurmountable mountain to get back into the tie, and their faint hopes of a comeback were extinguished on 73 minutes, when Morton reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the area and stroked an inch-perfect effort into the top corner.
The closing stages were rather painful as far as the Czech giants were concerned, with Lyon simply toying with them as they saw out a victory which sets up a play-off round tie with Fenerbahce for a place in the UCL league phase.
Defeat doesn’t come with catastrophic consequences for Sparta though, as by virtue of being on the league path in qualifying, their consolation prize is a confirmed spot in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Tyler Morton (Lyon)