10-man LOSC move second after win over Angers

Lille OSC took full advantage of their opportunity to climb the table, overcoming Angers SCO 2-0 at the Stade Raymond-Kopa in Round 31 of Ligue 1 McDonald's. Goals from Alexsandro Ribeiro and Hákon Haraldsson either side of half-time secured a vital three points for Bruno Genesio’s men, who now sit just behind Paris Saint-Germain ahead of Sunday night’s remaining fixtures.

Although Lille dominated possession early on (79% in the first 30 minutes), they struggled to turn that control into clear-cut chances. Angers had the first major openings, with Abdelli and Allevinah both going close following defensive errors from the visitors. It was a string of misses that SCO would quickly come to regret.

However, LOSC capitalised on their first real opportunity just before the break. Haraldsson delivered a perfect free-kick from the right, which Alexsandro headed into the bottom corner to give Lille a precious lead (45’+1).

Barely five minutes into the second half, Lille doubled their advantage. After good interplay with Akpom, Haraldsson raced into the box and finished clinically across Fofana (50’), notching his fifth goal of the Ligue 1 McDonald's season. Angers struggled to respond, even after Bafodé Diakité was sent off for Lille on 67 minutes following a second yellow card. Despite their numerical advantage, the hosts lacked creativity and rarely troubled Lucas Chevalier in the Lille goal.

A composed win for les dogues, but bad news for mbappé

The afternoon was marred by injury news for Lille, as Ethan Mbappé, just on as a substitute, was stretchered off in tears shortly after entering the pitch, appearing to suffer a muscular injury. Lille’s victory moves them up to second place in Ligue 1 McDonald's with 56 points, while Angers remain dangerously close to the relegation battle, sitting just two points above the drop zone.

Genesio’s side, who were seventh at the start of the day, have put themselves in a strong position in the race for European qualification, but will have to cope without Diakité (suspended) and potentially Ethan Mbappé in the coming matches.

Lille captain Benjamin André spoke in the flash interview following the match, and was clearly happy with the result. The Frenchman did, however, urge his side to score more and keep the focus for the end of the season.  "I think we had a bit of freshness about us today, we managed to develop our play even if we had a couple of lapses of concentration," said the captain of Les Dogues. "Perhaps we need to score more goals because goal-difference could be a massive factor at the end of the season. We've got quality, we need to keep up the intensity and the focus, because UEFA Champions League qualification is still in our hands."

The Stat: podium finish?

LOSC will finish a Ligue 1 McDonald's weekend in the top three of the table for the first time since January. Bruno Génésio's side moved up six spots with their three points gained over Angers this afternoon.

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