Many predicted hell for them against the defending champions and recent club world champions, but Losc did not look ridiculous, far from it, at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, February 22. However, the men of Jocelyn Gourvennec, aligned in a new system, bowed against the Blues more technically and clinically fair in front of goal (2-0), like Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic. With two goals behind, Lille are on a very unfavorable waiver before the second leg of the round of 16, at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, in mid-March.
In front of 1,500 of their noisy supporters who had made the trip to London, Lille showed a beautiful face, as during the group stage of the competition. But the desire to do well was not enough against the reigning European champions. In an unprecedented and very defensive 4-3-3 lined up by Jocelyn Gourvennec, the Mastiffs took a few minutes before fully entering their match and were cold-picked in the 8th minute by Kai Havertz.
Showered from the start, the Lille residents were not discouraged and resumed their march forward. But with few attacking players on the pitch, they found it very difficult to worry a tight Chelsea defence. Jonathan David, usually lined up alongside Burak Yilmaz, was alone on Tuesday evening, too lonely. While his teammates couldn’t find him, the Canadian picked up a lot to touch a few balls.
Like Benjamin André shortly before half-time, the Mastiffs then tried to deceive the vigilance of Edouard Mendy with long shots, but it took more to destabilize one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Too limited technically, apart from a phenomenal Renato Sanches on Tuesday evening, the Northerners paid for their errors and their loss of ball and were punished, shortly after the hour mark, by Christian Pulisic, at the end of a counter led by the inevitable N’Golo Kante.
Defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Pierre Mauroy will have 90 minutes left to try to reverse the trend.#CHELOSC #UCL 2-0 | ⏱ 90’+5 pic.twitter.com/lhpi6Tsnrj
— LOSC (@losclive) February 22, 2022
Jocelyn Gourvennec tried to reverse the trend by changing the system to allow his players to find their bearings in 4-4-2, but Losc did not prove to be more dangerous. If the result seems logical on paper, it is already moving Lille away from qualifying for the quarter-finals. Barring an exploit at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, on March 16, during the return match.