A FIRST defeat in the European Challenge Cup for Edinburgh leaves them facing the pressure of a winner-takes-all battle with Bordeaux next week.
They battled bravely in Lyon, but a drop goal from captain Fabrice Estebanez four minutes from time was enough to pinch the result for the French with the try count level at two apiece.
Edinburgh had come into the game level with Bordeaux, who had left it until the 73rd minute but had still managed to scrape a bonus point in Friday night's match to catch the Scots on 16 points in Pool Four of the tournament.
The bonus point Edinburgh pick up for the narrow defeat was enough to edge them in front, but it still leaves their future in the tournament hanging on next week's game.
They set about their task with relish, taking the lead inside three minutes with a penalty from a scrum kicked by Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and soon increased their lead further as Jack Cuthbert, the full-back, jinked outside his man and found Tim Visser outside to give him a simple run to the line.
It was a start that shocked Lyon into life but powerful defence against their maul and determined midfield tackling held them at bay until Edinburgh pinched the ball at the breakdown, Greig Tonks, the fly-half, booted it downfield into a huge space and Dougie Fife won the race to ground the ball over the line.
Hidalgo-Clyne missed both the tricky conversions, and with Lachie Munro, the Lyon fly-half, replying with a penalty, the French were still in the game, a position that got even stronger when Matt Scott, the centre, was sin-binned after illegally stealing the ball in a ruck.
Lyon tried to turn the screw, hammering at the Edinburgh line but meeting stubborn resistance until they found space to spread the ball wide and Romain Loursac, the full-back, had acres of space to score wide out.
With Munro converting, it was still advantage to the Scots, but only just, at the break.
There were plenty of warnings early in the second half of the threat posed by the French off-loading game, though it was the Scots who increased their lead with a Hidalgo-Clyne penalty before they almost handed the match to the opposition.
It was a nothing kick until they allowed the ball to bounce and then two players failed to gather it as it went loose, allowing Tonks to nudge it over his own line and Damien Fitzpatrick, the home hooker, falling on it. Luckily for the Scots, Munro missed the simple conversion, leaving them a point ahead going into the final quarter.
Lyon soon took the lead with Jerome Porical coming off the bench to slot the penalty that edged them in front.
But Edinburgh were up for the fight and though visits to the opposition 22 were few and far between, they did manage one to claim a scrum penalty for Hidalgo Clyne to put them back in front and set up the finale.
Lyon: R Loursac; P Bonnefond, W Seru Sukanaveita, F Estebanez (C), T Regard; L Munro (J Porical, 63), R Januarie (M Loree, 67); B Balan (S Mavinga, 61), D Fitzpatrick (V Colliat, 61), H Pungea (A Roux, 41), M De Marco (F Viljoen, 72), S Christian Njewel, S Cerqueira, K Ghezal, M Matadigo (D Tison, 61).
Edinburgh: J Cuthbert (J Te Rure, 63); D Fife, M Scott (sin bin: 32-42), P Burleigh (A Strauss, 76), T Visser; G Tonks, S Hidalgo-Clyne, A Dickinson (R Sutherland, 67), R Ford (N Cochrane, 63), W Nel (J Andress, 67), A Bresler ( F Mckenzie, 61), B Toolis, M Coman (C), R Grant, D Denton (H Watson, 61).
Referee: N Hennessy (Wales)
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