In a week marked by zero points for French clubs in the Champions League, three Ligue 1 representatives were on stage to restore their image by
Europa Leaguethis Thursday. Olympique Lyonnais kicked off the evening perfectly by signing
a precious victory on the pitch of the Young Boys of Bern (1-0) in order to directly validate your ticket for the round of 16 of the competition.
A reality far removed from that of OGC Nice. The Aiglons are already eliminated and were at the other end of the standings, being the only team in the competition not to have unlocked their points counter. With a reshuffled squad, Claude Puel, however, had the objective of breaking a very embarrassing series of 18 games without the slightest victory on the European scene… It’s done. Opposed to the Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles, another team in bad shape in this Europa League, the Gym finally saved the honor by winning on its lawn (1-0). Vanhoutte unlocked the match by taking a good serve from Louchet (1-0, 10th). Gouveia then went with his double, a sublime strike (2-0, 40th) then a well-smacked header (3-0, 59th) before Stokkers reduced the score for the visitors (3-1, 98th). The score has no longer changed. It will not change the European future of Nice, but it has the merit of stopping the bleeding before the next games in Ligue 1.
Lille can’t do it
For its part, Lille also had a response to give after a majorly unsuccessful start to the year. Twentieth at the start of their match, Bruno Genesio’s men faced a team from Celta de Vigo who were in the same waters in the standings. But once again, they did not have the necessary resources to avoid the trap set by their opponent. Lacking efficiency in the two zones of truth, the Mastiffs quickly conceded the opener after a catastrophic start, Swedberg finding the net after a few seconds (1-0, 1st). Olivier Giroud and his teammates did not recover. Despite an attempted revolt, Lille even conceded the break in the second half on a goal scored by Starfelt, on a powerful helmet hit in the second half (2-0, 69th). A small affront, because Cela had been reduced to ten after half an hour of play following the expulsion of Sotelo (29th). Giroud’s late goal will remain anecdotal (2-1, 86th). Lille is sinking into crisis and will have to react quickly.
