PLAYER RATINGS | Lille 1 – 2 Reims: Will Still’s side subdue Les Dogues
In order to give a breather to Stade Pierre-Mauroy’s pitch between two Rugby Union World Cup games, Lille OSC hosted Stade de Reims this Tuesday night. Paulo Fonseca’s side had the opportunity to go level with Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco in the event of a home win. But Reims manager Will Still had other plans in mind.
The Champagne side ran riot in the opening stages, proving ruthless to punish the hosts’ early mistakes. Danish centre-forward Mohamed Daramy volleyed in the opener after a goalmouth scramble following a corner. The hosts were appealing for a foul on Samuel Umtiti but fourth referee Ali Djedid, who replaced the injured Eric Wattelier, was not interested. Still’s Reims then took a leaf of Pep Guardiola’s book with a remarkable sequence of intricate passing and movement ended by Keito Nakamura showing great composure to find the back of Lucas Chevalier’s net. Reims were 2-0 up after only 16 minutes.
Les Dogues enjoyed the majority of the possession and dominated most of the game, but they struggled to break down a tightly-knit and perfectly organized Reims side. The introductions of Edon Zhegrova and former Fulham man Ivan Cavaleiro brought renewed energy to the hosts whilst Reims were showing passiveness and tired legs.
Skipper Benjamin André led the charge ten minutes from time in halving the deficit with a powerful header, but Reims eventually held on to three vital points. Still’s plan to overload the central area of the pitch proved another tactical masterclass against Fonseca’s control-based Lille. The visitors climb to fifth place in the Ligue 1 standings. Lille remain in mid-table.
Lille players ratings
Lucas Chevalier, 5
Tiago Santos, 4
Samuel Umtiti, 4 – The 2018 World Cup winner had to be replaced
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