There are symbolic firsts, and others which are of real use. Lille’s victory in Seville (1-2) falls into the second category. The northern team had never managed to win in Spain in six trips. It took the seventh to leave the country of Cervantes with the three points.
And this season, after zero success in three games in this new European campaign, the Mastiffs, third before kick-off, were obliged to at least share the points with the Andalusians, second in the group before starting the part.
The game seemed to take the contours of a new night of galley for the champions of France 2021 when Lucas Ocampos, opportunist in front of the goal, opened the scoring at fifteen minutes of play (15e). Impotence was quickly followed by injustice when Jonathan David was forgot a penalty, however obvious following a poorly controlled tackle from Thomas Delaney (17e).
The video assistance to the arbitration however validated the decision of the Romanian referee, Istvan Kovacs, to the dismay of the Northerners, who left to suffer in Andalusia. But perhaps encouraged by the convincing copy returned to Paris in Ligue 1 (2-1 defeat in the last moments), Jocelyn Gourvennec’s players have never ceased to believe in it with a team much more turned towards attack that in the first leg. The Lille coach had opted for three attackers and a midfielder more focused on possession of the ball.
Ikoné makes you forget everything
And it was a stroke of fate – or a silly fault – that revived Lille, when Thomas Delaney was caught red-handed with his arms over Bamba’s face in the box, while the action was developing at a respectable distance ( 41e). This time, the Romanian referee has validated the fault of the Danish midfielder to designate the penalty spot. In great form in the league with 8 goals, Jonathan David did not hesitate to equalize just before the break (43e).
The Andalusian block then disintegrated and Lille should have taken advantage of it in stride but Jonathan Ikoné stumbled on goalkeeper Yassine Bounou after poor ball handling (45e). Disappointing when he entered the first leg, Ikoné turned the Lille evening into joy, well placed within five meters after the shot on the post of Zeki Celik (51e).
It is only the second goal of the season in sixteen meetings for the French international, but it is one of the most important of the season. ” We were impatiently awaiting this success and we hope that this victory will not be the last. We will do everything to qualify, we have two games left. We believed in it from the start, we must give ourselves the means and not give up. We are going to celebrate it well ”, explained, all smiles, the decisive striker.
Draft and too nervous (five warnings), the Sevillians never seemed able to return. Lille won their first Champions League match in nine years, and a win for nothing in Borisov in Belarus (0-2). That of November 2, 2021 could be expensive. Lille is 2e two days from the end – thanks to the goal difference, 0 against – 1 in Wolfsburg – and could find the way to the eighth, again for the first time in a short eternity. It was in 2007. For that, it will be necessary to manage the reception of Salzburg on November 23 and especially a perilous trip to Wolfsburg in closing, on December 5.