LOSC Lille beats Reims in Ligue 1 and secures place in the Europa League
Lille must settle for the Europa League… Despite a 2-1 victory over Reims this Saturday at Pierre-Mauroy in the 34th matchday of Ligue 1, LOSC, thanks to Nice’s 6-0 victory over Brest, remains in 5th place and therefore qualifies for the Champions League. Despite this setback, Reims, 15th, secured their place in the league.
Spurred on by the northern fans, the Dogues quickly took control of the ball by moving into the Reims half. However, LOSC still struggled to create any danger, with only one off-target shot from Cabella… Despite the pressure exerted by Lille, the Reims team showed solidarity to resist with a tight defensive block.
Tested by Haraldsson with a curling shot, Diouf also responded to support his defenders. But as halftime approached, LOSC were able to find the gap through Cabella, who scored with a close-range winger after Meunier’s shot was blocked (1-0, 37th).
After the break, the game’s format remained unchanged: Lille had the upper hand against a limited Reims side. And yet, on Reims’ first shot, Akieme unleashed a magnificent volley, following a poorly cleared corner, to surprise Chevalier (1-1, 60th). A real missile from the Spaniard!
Stunned, LOSC had to go forward to find a solution against a united defense. While the match was marked by the departure of David, for his last with Lille, he then struggled to get going… But as the end of the game approached, Okumu fouled Akpom and conceded a penalty. Facing Diouf, the Englishman converted his attempt on the right (2-1, 85th). Despite this success, Lille only qualified for the Europa League.
