Amadou Onana scored his first Ligue 1 Uber Eats goal as LOSC Lille bounced back from their UEFA Champions League exit to beat FC Nantes 1-0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Saturday, while RC Lens also won.
THE MATCH
Onana was one of three players brought into the starting line-up by Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec in the wake of their 2-1 defeat against Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie three days earlier. Angel Gomes was another and he came close to giving the visitors a 17th-minute lead when his shot was tipped over the bar by Alban Lafont.
Lafont has come to the rescue for Nantes on countless occasions this season and he did so again four minutes before the interval when he kept out a José Fonte header, but this time Onana was on hand to convert the follow-up and score his first league goal since arriving from Hamburg at the beginning of the season.
Weah sent off
Lille then held onto their lead despite the second-half sending-off of United States international Timothy Weah, another who was introduced to the line-up here. Weah’s challenge just after the hour mark caught Samuel Moutoussamy and the Nantes player’s ankle turned horribly as it was stuck in the turf. Moutoussamy had to be helped off the pitch and Weah was shown a red card following a VAR review (64’).
However, Nantes could not make the most of their extra man and their evening was summed up when Pedro Chirivella’s 67th-minute strike hit the base of the left-hand post, rebounded along the line and hit the other upright.
A second straight 1-0 defeat is a huge blow to Les Canaris and their hopes of qualifying for Europe, but Lille are now unbeaten in six league outings and have kept a clean sheet in each of those games. That is the kind of form that took them to the title last season and now it leaves them just a point outside the top five ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games as they seek a return to continental competition next season.
THE PLAYER: José Fonte
At 38, the Portuguese centre-back has played every minute of all 40 games in all competitions for Lille this season. A remarkable achievement.
THE STAT: 6
Lille have gone six Ligue 1 games without conceding a goal since losing 5-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain at the start of February.
Sotoca stars in Lens win
Earlier Lens boosted their own hopes of qualifying for Europe by coming from behind to beat relegation-threatened Clermont Foot 63 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Clermont went in front inside the opening 10 minutes when a Mohamed Bayo shot on the turn ended up as the perfect assist for Elbasan Rashani to score, but the home side drew level when Kevin Danso converted following a corner by new France call-up Jonathan Clauss.
Lens then went in front in first-half stoppage time in remarkable fashion when Clermont goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco went to clear downfield, unaware that Florian Sotoca was lurking behind him. The Lens player stole in, took the ball and then scored from a tight angle.
The home side added a third goal in the second half as Massadio Haïdara netted the follow-up after a Clauss shot hit the post, and they stay in the hunt for Europe while Clermont remain just a point above the bottom three.
