The third day of the Champions League, Wednesday, October 20, and the reception of Seville did not allow Lille to unlock its victory counter in this competition, after a draw (0-0).
Authors of a rather solid performance, Lille still lacked precision in the last passes to hope to win against Sevilla FC, third in La Liga. Despite a good Renato Sanches, back from injury, the Mastiffs now have two points but retain their chances of qualifying since Seville, second in the pool, has only one point more.
After their defeat against Clermont in the league (0-1, October 16), the Lille were keen to redeem themselves against the Sevillians, favorites of group G, in the Champions League. In a relatively unhurried Pierre Mauroy stadium, they showed a better face than in Auvergne, but still do not come out of it in the European Cup.
Jocelyn Gourvennec’s men got off to a good start, occupying the Sevillian side for the first few minutes, before the game leveled off and the Rojiblancos gradually gained the upper hand. While Burak Yilmaz had tried twice without success against the Spanish cages, Sevilla took the most dangerous opportunity in the 20th minute, but Tiago Djalo fixed a mistake made by his goalkeeper Ivo Grbic by clearing the ball on the line.
Sevillian opportunities then multiplied, with the merit of reviving the Pierre Mauroy stadium. But despite the encouragement of their supporters, Lille remained imprecise in their passes, often delivering them in bad timing.
Upon returning from the locker room, the Mastiffs continued to suffer the Sevillian possession game. Fortunately for them, Lucas Ocampos missed his acrobatic recovery. Uninspired in attack, like a Burak Yilmaz often offside, they got few chances in the second half. Jocelyn Gourvennec waited until the 70th minute to bring new blood with the entries of Xeka and Jonathan Ikoné to replace Amadou Onana and Renato Sanches.
The Portuguese, annoyed to leave, made a good performance for his first Champions League match this season. Injured in the meniscus for nearly two months, he was established for the second consecutive game and was invaluable in the recovery and in the conservation of the ball.
In a tense end of the match, with the support of the public and a burst of pride, the Lille tried to ignite the end of the match by throwing themselves quickly forward. But they once again lacked precision in the last gestures. They still came very close to obtaining a penalty on a strike from Jonathan Ikoné countered by the hand of Thomas Delaney, at the edge of the entrance to the Sevillian penalty area.
13 – Lille haven’t won any of their last 13 Champions League receptions, since a 3-1 victory against AEK Athens in October 2006. This is the co-worst series of its kind in history of the competition (Steaua Bucharest also at 13). #LOSCSEV pic.twitter.com/UTT7i7yEMJ
– OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 20, 2021
After three days in the group stage, Lille are third in their group, tied on points with Wolfsburg, last, but with only one point behind Sevilla, second. The Mastiffs will meet the Andalusians on November 2 for the return leg.