Football. Ligue 1: Lille gets revenge on RC Lens, hindered in the title race.

It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold. In Lille, this revenge was taken in the heat of the Nord derby, in front of an enthusiastic crowd, still burning from the debacle experienced at the Bollaert stadium (3-0) last September during the first leg.

Clearly dominant, Lille got their revenge on Lens (3-0) on Saturday night, further compromising the chances of the Sang et Or in the race for the Ligue 1 title against PSG. The Losc, at the heart of this 28th matchday, confirms its resurgence after a catastrophic start to the year: the northern club is now unbeaten in eight league matches, with their fifth win in the last six games. This return to the forefront is also reflected in the standings, with Lille climbing to third place (50 points) pending Marseille’s challenging trip to Monaco on Sunday night.

Higher up, this victory significantly hampers Lens’ chances (2nd, 59 points) in their distance duel with Paris Saint-Germain, who now have a four-point lead and a game in hand. This effect will delight Lille supporters, who have an age-old rivalry with Lens, making this derby one of the fiercest in France.

If Lille secured a comfortable victory, it was primarily due to the lessons learned from their disappointing match at Bollaert, where they were outmatched by fired-up Lens players. This time, Bruno Genesio’s players operated on a different level from the miners from the start of the match, in terms of intensity, duels, and winning second balls.

Lille omnipresent

Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser had to work hard to fend off attempts from Haraldsson (19th minute) and Matias Fernandez-Pardo (26th), with Olivier Giroud preferred to lead the attack. A rewarding choice as the high-speed forward was involved in several good moves for his team, setting up Haraldsson’s opening goal (44th) by being precise in his decision-making this time.

Only a glaring error from Felix Correia allowed Odsonne Edouard to create a chance saved by Berke Yer (32nd), after the first half-hour where Lille had 79% of possession. After this scare without consequences, the Portuguese player shone on the other side of the field by doubling the lead (49th), taking advantage of a defensive mistake, this time made by Nidal Celik, who completely forgot him behind while Lens was about to regain the ball.

Despite Risser deflecting another attempt from Correia (52nd), Lens never managed to get into their derby, both athletically and technically. Their usual leaders also disappointed. At the end of this disappointing match, the Artois club is close to giving up on the title and focusing on their other major goal: the Coupe de France, where they are in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Lille is in a much better position and can once again dream of the Champions League, with the returns of captain Benjamin Andre, Ethan Mbappe, and Osame Sahraoui.