In this section, Le Petit Lillois gives the floor to Lille supporters at the end of each of its meetings. This time, three of them were questioned following the draw conceded by LOSC and Juventus (1-1) in the Champions League.
The European dream continues for LOSC, who achieved a third (mini) feat this Tuesday by managing to hold off Juventus (1-1) on the lawn of the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre Mauroy. After Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid, Diego Simeone's Atlético, it was the Old Lady led by Thiago Motta who thwarted the Mastiffs. “It’s a shame because we deserved another result”the latter was annoyed at the final whistle.
This meeting was commented on by Alexis, Clément and Jacques, three supporters interviewed cold, more than a day after the final whistle. Their remarks are an opportunity to return one last time to the recently contested game, but from a different angle from what we can traditionally see in the local and French press.
A question of feeling
A great fan of analysis, Clément instinctively began by remaking the film of the match, all in his own way:
“It was a good match. Difficult against a good Juventus team. I think the adversity was even greater than against Real Madrid for example. Juventus had great tactical and technical skills with a good layout of the pitch on their part. However, our Lille residents delivered a serious performance with a match well prepared by Genesio, the staff and the players. Juventus had the ball and that was to be expected. Despite this, LOSC seized every opportunity offered to it. The goal is absolutely fabulous in construction and finish. The Zhegrova pass is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful passes of the campaign. After the opening score, the Turinese continued to press until the equalizer, it must be said deserved, which without a great Knight and justified offsides, would have come sooner.
But after the equalizer, the match fell back into a monotonous rhythm. The Italians quickly settled for a draw, which was also not a bad result for LOSC. It’s a logical draw and a point that will count”he concluded his analysis.
For his part, Alexis wanted to highlight the quality of Lille's defensive play: “The team was very solid, both in the middle and in defense and even to the point of forgetting our massacre of injuries at the right defender position with Aïssa Mandi who responded. On the offensive level it was less that, with few situations but sharp efficiency in the first halfhe began, before pointing out an individual performance. What bothers me the most in this match is the confirmation that Angel Gomes has difficulty existing against the big teams who put more intensity. » The Briton was also the first to leave the pitch, replaced by Ngal'ayel Mukau even before the hour mark (55').
Finally, Jacques was still in his match: “Once again there was everything to experience a wonderful European evening. The intensity was high and our players responded with courage and solidarity. I love watching our European matches because I think that's where we see the strength of our collective. This is where the state of mind of a Mastiff stands out the most. It's a shame we didn't manage to hold on until the end, but they gave everything. The goal was great. It's these kinds of occasions that get us out of our seats and make us want to come back to the stadium again and again.”he told us, ready to celebrate again.
Fear of overthrow?
A few days earlier, during the reception of Olympique Lyonnais, LOSC had taken on water from all sides in the second half, resisting as best they could to end up settling for a draw. This Tuesday again, the Mastiffs stuck their tongues out during the second act. However, their supporters remained confident: “We defended the entire match as we expected and with a certain solidity. We even had a few highlights at times. Juve equalizes on a penalty, but it remains a set piece and not a goal in the game »explains Alexis, who did not tremble for a single second.
“Honestly, I was never too worriedcontinues Clément. Paradoxically, despite technical mastery and ball possession on the Italian side, I found the team in less danger than against Atletico Madrid for example. This is partly due to good defensive stability,” judges the man whose opinion is close to that of Jacques: “I would be lying to you if I said that I was completely calm from start to finish. Despite everything, I don't think Juventus were incisive enough to make our defense bend. We suffered a lot more against Real Madrid”he continues. The two Lille residents spontaneously cited LOSC's last two opponents, against whom the task would therefore have been less easy despite the victories achieved.
Man of the match
Real Madrid, AS Monaco and Juventus… At his 17th birthday, which he celebrated when he faced Vinicius Jr and Luka Modric, Ayyoub Bouaddi is the man of the big posters among the Mastiffs. He was even elected “Man of the Match” at the final whistle, an individual title that not everyone would necessarily have given him: “I might not have given it to Ayyoub (Bouaddi), but he gave a great performance and why not after all. In my eyes, it is Edon Zhegrova who would have deserved it given the differences achieved”he judges.
This point of view is generally shared by Alexis:
“He was not particularly above the other players in the meeting”continues the youngest of those interviewed. “He had another very good match, especially in the second half after Mukau came back. He had a bit of technical freedom. He also had a bit of waste which reminds us that he is only 17 years old. However, what he achieves is absolutely fabulous. He has the head and the legs as they say in cycling. He's a young man who will go farClément quickly cuts him off. Even if he “Personally would have rather given during the match against Real Madrid during which he produced a masterclass”he wants to emphasize.
Seven points after four days
The Champions League has already reached the halfway point and LOSC (14th) is achieving the impossible. The evil tongues predicted almost zero points after four days given their calendar, but the Mastiffs defied all predictions despite a full infirmary with seven points pocketed having faced Sporting CP, Real Madrid, Atlético and Juventus. The easiest part, on paper, is yet to come and they could now have big ambitions. “Above all, don’t let yourself get drunk to begin withquickly points out Clément. The priority is already to aim for a victory quickly to secure at least the play-offs. Let's focus on the match in Bologna. Every match will be difficult”he insists.
On this point, Clément and Alexis are on the same wavelength: “I think the objective remains the same with qualification at the end of the regular seasonbegins the second, which still ends up seeing bigger things. Why not dream of going straight to the round of 16, even if I think the current ambition is more to go for the top of the play-off table. » The bellows quickly subsided, but he can count on Jacques to find a second wind: “It’s exceptional and it was unexpected when we started this campaign. To think that we weren't even initially qualified. When we look at the progress we have made, it is strong, very strong. Can we imagine bigger? Honestly, why not! We are the only ones who can stop ourselves from dreaming. So we might as well do it and we'll see where it takes us.”he concludes, with optimism to spare.
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