Lille held by Brest as winless 2026 run stretches on

LOSC Lille were held to a 1-1 draw by Stade Brestois 29 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday evening, extending their winless start to 2026 and leaving them rooted in 5th place. Despite controlling possession and creating the clearer openings, Bruno Génésio’s men once again lacked the cutting edge required to secure all three points.

The hosts made an assertive start, pressing high and dominating the ball from the opening whistle. With 70% possession across the match and more than 600 completed passes, Lille dictated the tempo and pinned Brest deep inside their own half for long stretches of the first period. Clear chances arrived early, including a powerful header from Fernandez-Pardo that forced a sharp reflex save from Coudert, while a frantic sequence inside the Brest box saw multiple attempts blocked in quick succession.

However, the breakthrough never came before the interval. As the first-half intensity dipped slightly, Brest grew more comfortable absorbing pressure, content to wait for their opportunity on the counter.

Labeau Lascary equalises

That moment arrived shortly before the hour mark. On 58 minutes, Romain Labeau Lascary was picked out centrally by Ajorque and, with little backlift, fired a precise first-time effort beyond Berke Özer and into the net. It was Brest’s first real spell of sustained threat — and they made it count.

Trailing against the run of play, Lille responded by increasing the tempo. Génésio turned to his bench, introducing fresh attacking options including Olivier Giroud, and the changes quickly shifted the momentum back in the hosts’ favour. The equaliser arrived on 71 minutes when good work down the left culminated in a clever dummy from Haraldsson, allowing Gaëtan Perrin to arrive unmarked and slot home from close range.

With parity restored, Lille pushed for a late winner, but precision deserted them in the closing stages. Brest briefly appealed for a penalty after a disputed handball incident involving Benjamin André, though play was waved on, and the visitors held firm to secure a valuable away point.

The statistics underlined Lille’s dominance — 70% possession, 616 passes and five shots on target — yet once again the performance yielded only a draw. The result leaves the Dogues six points off the European places and still searching for their first league victory of the calendar year.

THE STAT:

Ludovic Ajorque has been involved in ten goals in Ligue 1 this season (3 goals, 7 assists). This is the sixth time that the current Brest striker has reached this milestone in a single season since his L1 debut in 2018-19, with only Kylian Mbappé and Gaëtan Laborde able to say the same over the same period.