Guilty on Lille's opener, Ainsley Maitland-Niles raised his level of play in the second half. The Englishman was in the image of this OL as a dilettante then a conqueror in the North.
The day after Halloween, theOL therefore chose to play Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde on the side of Lille. Ninety minutes of play and two completely different faces from one half to the next. We expected the Lyonnais to show what they had in their stomach against a big Ligue 1 team, they forgot to turn on the engine. So certainly, they took their first point of the season against a big fish in the championship. But without the Lille clumsiness and a little luck in the first half, theOL would clearly have left empty-handed from this trip to the north of France.
The fault of a first half “unworthy”as Pierre described it Sage at the end of the meeting, and an abandoned collective. For 45 minutes, there was not one to catch up with the other in the Lyon ranks. It almost makes you wonder if Alexandre Lacazette's teammates were aware of the importance of this match, with the gifts given here and there. Moussa No matter what had thrown the first twig, but it's Ainsley Maitland-Niles who had the honors of the blunder for the opening score of LOSC.
Not concerned and concentrated enough in the first half
In a scenario close to that observed in Rennes during the first day, the English full-back's pass put Jonathan into orbit David. The latter did not need to be asked to get ahead of and crucify Lucas Perri and put Lille in front. This individual error, Maitland-Niles had not accustomed the Lyon supporters to doing so. This is also the first time since the start of his adventure in the capital of Gaul. Besides, it was certainly necessary to go back to the first months of the formerArsenal to see him so uncomfortable in the collective. The Englishman was in difficulty facing the swaying dribbles of Sarahoui.
He was not the only one, quite the contrary. However, his mistake was paid for in cash and was almost unrecoverable, as the Rhone face was so frightening to see. Not very comfortable technically, in difficulty defensively, Maitland-Niles had everything this evening was a flop that could have turned into a nightmare. And finally, when judging the final performance of the versatile 98, it is difficult to really say. Half fig, half grape? Because, like OL, it was a transformed Ainsley Maitland-Niles who returned to the pitch at the Pierre Mauroy stadium after the break.
Decisive passer for Fofana
Pierre Sage wanted his players to show the “real face of OL” and his flock took the message literally, each raising their level of play. To the point that Maitland-Niles transformed from pariah of the first half to hero of the second. Twice he saw the frame disappear. First, with an outsider from the law who gave Lucas a cold sweat Chevalier. Then, trying from the left, again with a Lille goalkeeper who had a sigh of relief. Then by shifting Cherki who went to find the bar (70th). On this evening when nothing was going well for OL, Maitland-Niles was even denied a goal for an offside No matter what on his shot (77th).
The football gods had decided not to be with “AMN” gone from the dilettante of the first period to the activity that we know him in the second. Finally, like the proud reaction of the collective, he was rewarded for his efforts. Still in excess of function and excess, he went to cross in the 91st minute for Malick Breathe who, in a balancing act, handed over the LOSC and theOL tied (1-1). A positive end to the match for OL and Maitland-Niles but the regret of not having seen this conquering face for 90 minutes.
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