LOSC Lille’s pursuit of a UEFA Champions League place in Ligue 1 continued, as they came from behind to win a top-flight match for the third time this season by beating OGC Nice 2-1 and jumping above their opponents into third in the process.
Home goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was called into action early on, springing to his left to make a strong save from Gaëtan Laborde’s fierce strike, while Pablo Rosario put a further effort over the bar.
Sofiane Diop then had a low drive from inside the area expertly palmed away, but the midfielder made no mistake next time, handing his side the lead by tucking into an empty net from inside the six-yard box after a low cross was pushed straight into his path.
That was no more than Les Aiglons deserved, but it also seemed to spur Bruno Génésio’s side – unbeaten in 20 outings since September – into life.
Alexsandro soon headed one effort wide, before, on the stroke of half time, Thomas Meunier registered their first shot on target with a whipped strike from the edge of the area that was heading for the top corner, until a flying Marcin Bułka tipped it away.
The equaliser ultimately came straight after the break, as Hákon Haraldsson emphatically grabbed his third goal in six games by beating the goalkeeper at his near post after being slid in by Jonathan David.
Shortly after the hour mark, the comeback was complete, as Nice haplessly failed to deal with a corner into the box, as the ball ricocheted around the area and fell kindly for Bafodé Diakité, who simply lifted into the roof of the net from just two yards out.
-That knocked the stuffing out of the visitors, who had looked like a different team after the interval.
Franck Haise made a number of substitutions to try and turn the game in his side’s favour, but their final ball was often lacking, surprisingly so for a team who have scored at least twice in six of their last seven league outings.
They did, though, carve out a terrific opening for Melvin Bard, who was picked out in acres of space on the left-hand side of the area, but was only able to find the side netting when one-on-one.
As such, Nice’s five-game unbeaten came to an untimely end, whereas Lille, who nearly extended their lead in injury time when David had a shot saved, overcame their opponents for the first time in six H2Hs.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Hákon Haraldsson (LOSC Lille)
See a summary of the match here
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