Team Lille in action© AFP

Representational Image.© AFP

Lille passed up the opportunity to go into the top three in Ligue 1 after a 96th-minute equaliser by Nice held them to a 2-2 draw on Sunday, while Lyon downed historic rivals Saint-Etienne. Tom Louchet slotted home deep in injury time to deny the visitors a win that would have taken them above Marseille and into the automatic Champions League qualification spots. Lille led twice in the match but were pegged back on both occasions by Nice, who now have five draws in their 11 league outings and are yet to lose at home this season.

“We deserved to take home all three points,” said Lille coach Bruno Genesio.

“But when you don’t do enough to win, you can get caught out… Maybe what happened to us was deserved,” he added.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo broke the deadlock inside the opening 20 minutes, before Sofiane Diop levelled early in the second period.

Mitchel Bakker sent the Dogues back in front after the hour but Nice struck back in the final moments to keep Lille fourth on 19 points.

Nice are two places behind them in the table on 17, after a stuttering start to the campaign.

Fernandez-Pardo opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he whipped a shot past Marcin Bulka at his near post following a marauding run up the left flank.

Nice dominated possession for the rest of the half but did not make it count as half-time substitute Diop levelled 11 minutes after his introduction.

Bakker restored Lille’s advantage on 66 minutes with a swept finish after Benjamin Andre showed good composure to pick him out in the box as his earlier effort came straight back off the post to him.

With the clock ticking down and Lille seemingly set for victory and to leapfrog Marseille into third, Nice loaded the box for a set-piece in one last desperate attempt to get something from the game.

The ball narrowly cleared Nice goalkeeper Bulka’s head as he attempted to get on the scoresheet and ricocheted to Louchet on the edge of the box, who fired across goal and into the bottom corner to snatch a draw.

Bragging rights for Lyon

Alexandre Lacazette scored the only goal as Lyon won “Le Derby” 1-0 against their fierce southeastern rivals Saint-Etienne.

The Lyon captain and academy graduate kneed the ball into the goal from close range on 29 minutes after a corner had ping-ponged around the visitors’ box.

A goalkeeping error nearly allowed Lyon to make the game safe with nine minutes remaining as Gautier Larsonneur dallied on the ball and Georges Mikautadze closed him down before Ernest Nuamah stroked home.

However, a VAR review showed the Georgian blocked the clearance with his arm and the strike was chalked off to keep Les Verts alive.

Saint-Etienne failed to really trouble the hosts as the match crept towards its conclusion and they eventually succumbed to their seventh defeat in Ligue 1.

Saint-Etienne have struggled on their return to the top flight after winning promotion via the play-off last term and stay 16th on 10 points.

Lyon’s fifth win of the season moves them up to fifth place, one point ahead of Nice.

Elsewhere, Reims joined Nice on 17 points with a 3-0 victory at 17th-placed Le Havre.

Oumar Diakite and Keito Nakamura scored inside six first-half minutes and Junya Ito added a third in the 57th minute.

Bottom-of-the-table Montpellier got a much-needed 3-1 win at home to Brest, who have struggled to recreate their excellent Champions League form domestically.

Toulouse moved up to 10th with a 2-0 win at Rennes who said they were close to appointing Jorge Sampaoli as coach, with the former Argentina and Chile boss watching from the stands.

“Discussions with Sampaoli are well advanced… We think that we’ll be able to have some news on this subject very quickly,” sporting director Frederic Massara told DAZN.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said criticism of his team was well deserved after their long unbeaten run came to an end in a 1-0 defeat against Lille in France in the Champions League on Wednesday. “I am very honest. Criticism of us for today’s game is fair and correct and we have to accept it. We did not play well in this game,” Ancelotti said after Jonathan David’s penalty just before half-time gave Lille the victory they merited.

It was Real’s first defeat in 37 games in all competitions since January and their first in the Champions League since losing to Manchester City in the semi-finals in May 2023.

“This has not happened to us much recently luckily. Our opponents played better than us and deserved to win,” added Ancelotti, whose team beat Borussia Dortmund in last season’s final.

“We had chances at the end but we wouldn’t have deserved (a draw). We have to learn from this. There are things we need to work on.”

Ancelotti shrugged off concerns about the potential consequences of the defeat in the new format of the Champions League, which now features 36 teams all together in one pool.

“I think the sadness comes from the feeling given off by the team. You can lose games because this is sport, but the sensations we gave off were not good,” said the Italian.

Madrid had beaten VfB Stuttgart 3-1 in their opening game two weeks ago but join the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in having lost one of their first two matches.

The top eight teams in the standings after every team has played eight games will advance directly to the last 16.

The remaining places in the last 16 will be taken by the winners of play-offs between the teams finishing from ninth to 24th.

Bellingham’s struggles

Real’s next game in three weeks will be at home to Dortmund in a repeat of last season’s final. After that they face AC Milan, Liverpool and Atalanta.

That game against Dortmund will also see Jude Bellingham come up against his old club, and the Englishman will hope to improve on an often poor start to this campaign.

“He is playing in the same position as last season without the success he had last season,” said Ancelotti of the Ballon d’Or candidate, who was booked in the second half.

“It just wasn’t a good night. Let’s not look for excuses. We just need to improve, that is all.”

In contrast, Lille coach Bruno Genesio admitted his delight at overseeing one of the club’s finest results ever in European competition.

The prestigious victory for Genesio follows his win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City when in charge of Lyon in 2018.

“It is a really great performance from everybody and a beautiful reward for the club and our supporters,” said Genesio.

“This shows what we are capable of doing but now we need to build on this.

“It shows that over 90 minutes we can cause problems for the best teams in Europe,” he added, mindful that Lille’s next games in the competition will be away to Atletico and at home to Juventus.

Lille vs Real Madrid Live Streaming UEFA Champions League Live Telecast© AFP

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior is hoping to end October with a first Ballon d’Or in his hands in Paris, but his month also begins in France with a Champions League visit to Lille on Wednesday. With star summer signing Kylian Mbappe recovering from a thigh injury, Vinicius has taken the reins once again as Madrid’s key attacking influence. The reigning European champions are unbeaten in 14 matches on the continent and after a hard-fought win over Stuttgart on the opening day, are aiming to follow that up with victory at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Last season Vinicius endured a sluggish start to the campaign but hit form in the second half of the season to help Madrid earn a record-extending 15th European Cup triumph.

Despite brief teething problems as he and Mbappe worked out how to play together in the first weeks of this season, the pair seemed to be forging a good relationship before the Frenchman’s injury.

Madrid named Mbappe in their squad to face Lille but he is unlikely to start and may not feature at all. The forward was expected to be out until after the upcoming international break.

“We’re used to playing without (Mbappe) because last year he wasn’t here,” said Ancelotti on Saturday, before backing Vinicius to be crowned the world’s best player.

“I think so, he deserves it for what he did last year, for his impact in the Champions League, scoring in the semi-final and final — I think he will win,” continued the Italian.

“But if he doesn’t, no worries, we carry on, he’ll carry on.”

Uncertain summer

Mbappe’s arrival at Madrid at the end of his Paris-Saint Germain contract raised questions about how he and Vinicius would fit together, as both like to play coming in off the left flank.

Thus far Ancelotti has kept Vinicius in his favoured position, usually lining up with Mbappe in the middle.

Vinicius was criticised in his homeland after disappointing displays at the Copa America and then in World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Brazil’s new coach Dorival Junior tried to ease the pressure on the forward.

“We are calm and can wait for the moment when everything blossoms,” he said last week.

In August there were reports that a Saudi Pro League club had offered Vinicius a huge deal and the player has not ruled out leaving Madrid.

Vinicius’ Real Madrid contract runs out in 2027 and the 24-year-old may reassess his options next summer.

For now his focus is on driving his team onwards in Europe and at home and he is clicking into gear on the pitch.

After two goals in his first seven appearances for Madrid across all competitions, the Brazilian came off the bench and scored to help Madrid come from behind to thrash Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga on September 21.

Vinicius also created a goal for Rodrygo in that match and set up Lucas Vazquez for another in the 3-2 win against Alaves.

Madrid outplayed rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday and Vinicius supplied Eder Militao’s opening goal, and although the match eventually finished 1-1 Los Blancos moved within three points of league leaders Barcelona.

Ancelotti replaced Mbappe with Luka Modric against Atletico in a 4-4-2 system but could revert to a 4-3-3 against Lille, with Vinicius’ compatriot Endrick pushing for a start.

Mbappe’s brother Ethan, 17, who signed for Lille this summer after leaving PSG as well, is injured and will miss the match.

Kylian Mbappe in action for Real Madrid© AFP

Mason Greenwood scored twice on his Marseille debut in a 5-1 rout of Brest in Ligue 1 on Saturday, while Lille made a winning start despite a frightening head injury sustained by Angel Gomes. Former Manchester United forward Greenwood struck inside three minutes and added another goal from the penalty spot on the half-hour after Luis Henrique had doubled the lead for Marseille. Luis Henrique netted again after Mahdi Camara’s crunching effort pulled it back to 3-1 before half-time, with Greenwood also involved in both of the Brazilian’s goals.

Greenwood won a second penalty after going down under a challenge from Jordan Amavi, but it was another of Marseille’s new signings Elye Wahi who tucked it away to a cap a strong display from Roberto De Zerbi’s new-look side.

The 22-year-old Greenwood arrived last month from Old Trafford, where his career began in promising fashion before he was suspended in January 2022 following allegations of attempted rape and sexual assault.

Prosecutors dropped charges in February 2023 and he went on to spend last season in Spain at Getafe. But still, Marseille fans, including the city’s left-wing mayor Benoit Payan, have condemned the signing of Greenwood.

He was one of five new faces in the Marseille line-up, joining Argentine goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, Canada defender Derek Cornelius, Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Wahi who was signed from Lens on Tuesday.

Rulli, an unused member of Argentina’s triumphant 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America squads, also had a debut to remember, saving an early spot-kick from Romain Del Castillo following his move from Ajax last weekend.

Former Brighton boss De Zerbi took over Marseille in June after a chaotic past season at the Velodrome, promising sweeping changes after a campaign in which the club got through three coaches and failed to qualify for Europe.

“I’m very happy with everything. I’m very pleased with the result and the attitude of the team,” said De Zerbi.

“I don’t know if we’re really good and I don’t know where we’ll come, but people must be sure that this is a group of hard-working players, which is important.”

Brest’s third-place finish last term was easily the best in club history, but a number of key players have since left with others missing through injury or suspension, and it was a worrying start for the Champions League newcomers.

“We’re certainly going to have to rethink things if we want to get a good result at Lens,” said Brest coach Eric Roy.

“You can go down heavily as we did today… what’s important is to know a bit about this team’s ability to react.”

‘Very, very scared’

Lille regrouped after Gomes was knocked unconscious by a clash of heads, beating Reims 2-0 following a lengthy stoppage while the stricken midfielder received treatment.

The 23-year-old Gomes, a United academy graduate like Greenwood, was left motionless lying on his back after a collision with Reims midfielder Amadou Kone, who was sent off as a result of the challenge.

Players from both sides immediately called for the medical staff before the ex-England Under-21 international was eventually stretchered off and taken to hospital.

“The latest news is rather reassuring, but it’s better to be careful,” said Lille coach Bruno Genesio.

He admitted to feeling “very, very scared” and criticised Kone’s conduct.

“There are things we shouldn’t see on a pitch. There are fouls you can excuse. This one for me is not one,” said Genesio.

Bafode Diakite put Lille ahead towards the end of 34 minutes of added time in the first half and Jonathan David sealed victory late on for a team that will face Slavia Prague in the Champions League play-offs.

Monaco, last season’s runners-up, beat promoted Saint-Etienne 1-0 courtesy of a Takumi Minamino goal.

Paris Saint-Germain began their title defence with a 4-1 win at Le Havre on Friday in their first game since the departure of talisman Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid.

Premier League outfit Manchester United announced the signing of young defender Leny Yoro from Ligue 1 side Lille on a contract that will run until 2029. The club released an official statement to announce the signing of the 18-year-old defender, which read, “Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Leny Yoro has joined the club, subject to registration. The French defender has signed a contract until June 2029, with the option to extend for a further year.”

At the age of 18, Yoro has already made 60 appearances for Lille’s first team. In the last season, he was included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season as well. He played a key role in helping Lille finish in the fourth spot in the league last season.

“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour. Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family,” Yoro said after signing for Manchester United, as quoted from club’s official statement.

“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started,” he added.

Manchester United sporting director, Dan Ashworth, believes that the young defender possesses every attribute that could help him turn into a top-class centre-back.

“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back. Having had such an excellent start to his career, we are excited to support him in reaching his immense potential here at Manchester United,” Ashworth said.

“This club has a fantastic record of developing young players, whether homegrown or brought in from elsewhere, and giving them the required guidance, time and patience to grow and flourish. Under Erik ten Hag and our excellent staff we will ensure that Leny has the perfect platform to achieve the success that everyone across the club is aiming for,” he added.