Dominik Greif Reflects on International Return After 22-Month Absence and Expresses Gratitude to Vladimír Weiss

Lyon suffered their first defeat of the season in round six, falling away to reigning Ligue 1 runners-up Racing Lens. Goalkeeper Dominik Greif kept his side in the contest with a string of fine saves, but Lyon ultimately went down 2-1. "I conceded twice and we lost the match. There is always room for improvement, so naturally I can't be satisfied. However, I haven't analysed the match in detail yet," Greif said in an interview with TASR.

Following the defeat, head coach Paulo Fonseca acknowledged defensive issues while highlighting that his side had only one day to prepare. "It's definitely tough, especially for us playing on a Friday. There is not much you can do about it. You just try to give your body as much rest as possible and hope to avoid injuries," noted Greif. The seven-time French champions currently sit fourth in the Ligue 1 table on 11 points, three adrift of league leaders AS Monaco.

Greif returned to his club after playing three matches in 11 days for Slovakia in League C of the Nations League. It marked a return to the national team setup after more than 22 months out of the fold. His previous international appearance had come in the final match of the last Nations League campaign against Estonia (1-0). Manager Vladimír Weiss handed Greif starts in the Group 3 opener against Moldova (2-0), as well as in the reverse fixture away from home (4-0) and in the Faroe Islands (1-1).

"I am very grateful to the coach and his staff for the trust they've shown in me. Every solid performance and positive result boosts your confidence," said Greif about the Slovakia manager. The national side are on track to earn promotion to League B, having collected 10 of a possible 12 points across their four autumn fixtures. They can seal top spot on 13 November by securing at least a point at home to the Faroe Islands—the only team to take points off them so far. "Nothing went drastically wrong in the first match. I believe home advantage will help us get the result we need," added Greif, who made 11 saves from 12 shots faced during the international window.

Greif established himself as Lyon's undisputed number one last season, making 29 league appearances and keeping 11 clean sheets. In Ligue 1, only Lille's Turkish shot-stopper Berke Özer recorded more shutouts, with 13 in 32 matches. Greif's career gained significant momentum during the 2024/25 campaign when he broke through as first choice at La Liga side RCD Mallorca. Reflecting on his upward trajectory, he said: "I feel my performances have remained consistent ever since I was finally given an opportunity at Mallorca under manager Jagoba Arrasate. You always have better and worse games, but overall I'm quite satisfied with my current form."

Lyon are also competing on the continental stage in the Europa League. In their league-phase opener away to Belgian outfit Anderlecht, the French side secured a 2-1 win with Greif on the bench as 30-year-old French keeper Remy Descamps started. Squad rotation between domestic and European fixtures is standard practice across top clubs, though Greif noted: "We don't have a fixed agreement on that. There are an extreme number of fixtures right now, so we will see how the manager decides to rotate," added the Slovan Bratislava academy graduate.

Lyon's next Europa League assignment will be a home clash against English side Crystal Palace, the reigning UEFA Conference League winners who currently sit twelfth in the Premier League.