Lille take a big step towards Champions League football with win over Lens
There was an expectedly boisterous atmosphere at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with a potential Champions League place and bragging rights weighing on the mind during this Derby du Nord.
The noise went up another notch just nine minutes in when Nabil Bentaleb found Zhegrova with a pinpoint pass and the winger cut inside Facundo Medina before wrongfooting Brice Samba for his 10th goal across all competitions this term.
Save for David Pereira da Costa hitting an attempt harmlessly off-target, the first half was mainly one-way traffic, and Kevin Danso stood strong to make two important blocks shortly before the half-hour mark, diverting Jonathan David’s attempt wide and halting a venomous strike from Bentaleb.
However, disaster nearly struck twice for Lens soon after, with Samba only just getting a panicked pass off under pressure from David, before Medina’s red card for a challenge on Zhegrova was swiftly downgraded to a yellow.
The VAR decision seemed to rejuvenate Lens, and they emerged strongly after the break, as Florian Sotoca’s strike forced a block from Leny Yoro. Yet, while Lille were finding themselves under unprecedented levels of pressure, they still carried a threat – as shown by a Zhegrova strike being deflected wide.
Les Dogues got the second they craved soon after though, with Samba’s save from Gabriel Gudmundsson’s effort proving futile as Zhegrova was in the perfect position to slide the ball home.
Having started on the bench, Elye Wahi was the man to finally renew hope for his side by latching onto Medina’s pass and sliding his shot under Lucas Chevalier.
It was too late for Lens to mount a real fightback though, and Lille still saw out the game to extend their six-game unbeaten run across all competitions. While LOSC’s eyes will be on Monaco’s trip to lowly Metz tomorrow, Lens remain sixth after successive defeats, falling four points behind the top four.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Edon Zhegrova (LOSC Lille)
