Tiago Santos struck early and Ethan Mbappé finished late as Lille kept Troyes at arm’s length in a 2-0 Ligue 1 win at the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday afternoon.
Key takeaways
- Lille defeated Troyes 2-0 in the fourth round of the Ligue 1 season.
- Tiago Santos opened the scoring in the 18th minute after being supplied by Dilane Bakwa.
- Ethan Mbappé sealed the points in the third minute of stoppage time, with Maurits Kjærgaard providing the pass.
- A Hákon Haraldsson effort was ruled out by VAR inside the opening three minutes for offside.
- Olivier Giroud was booked after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Lille 2-0 Troyes: Tiago Santos and Ethan Mbappé settle Matchday 4 contest
SEO title: Lille 2-0 Troyes: Ethan Mbappé scores late as Lille claim Ligue 1 win
SEO description: Tiago Santos and Ethan Mbappé scored as Lille beat Troyes 2-0 at the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Ligue 1 Matchday 4.
Lille thought they had made a perfect start when Haraldsson found the net in the second minute. The move began with Ayase Ueda feeding Bakwa, whose shot was blocked before the ball reached Haraldsson. However, the forward had been beyond the last defender when Bakwa played the earlier pass, and the VAR review wiped out the goal.
The home side did not have to wait much longer to take control. In the 18th minute, Bakwa created space on the right and found Tiago Santos, who drove a right-footed effort from inside the box into the top-left corner.
Troyes carried a threat from set pieces and wide deliveries. Hugo Picard sent a long-range attempt narrowly wide in the 24th minute, while Berke Özer had to deal with a corner shortly afterwards. Jérémy Le Douaron headed wide from Lucas Maronnier’s cross, and Lille survived further Troyes corners as the visitors pressed for a way back.
Lille had opportunities to extend the advantage before the interval. Ueda headed Bakwa’s corner off target and later missed from a Bentaleb pass during a counterattack. The Japanese forward also had a central effort saved after Haraldsson set him up. Troyes ended the first half with shots from Adrien Monfray and Le Douaron, but neither troubled the scoreline.
Mbappé makes the finish certain
Troyes introduced Noah Donkor at half-time in place of Maronnier and began the second period with greater attacking intent. Monfray had two efforts around the 51st minute, including a close-range header that was blocked, before Mouhamed Diop missed from the ensuing pressure.
Lille then turned to their bench. Maurits Kjærgaard replaced Haraldsson just after the hour, while Giroud, Gaëtan Perrin and Ethan Mbappé were all sent on in the 71st minute. Benjamin André later took the place of Ngal’ayel Mukau.
The changes gave Lille fresh control in the final phase. Perrin saw a shot blocked after Kjærgaard’s pass, while Mbappé tested Troyes repeatedly: he fired wide from distance, had another low attempt stopped, and then helped create a chance for Kjærgaard that was saved.
Giroud received a yellow card in the 82nd minute for a dangerous challenge, but Lille continued to push through the closing moments. Troyes also made a series of changes, bringing on Timothé Nkada, Iron Gomis, Renaud Ripart and Yacouba Koné. Koné headed straight at the Lille goalkeeper from a Monfray delivery.
The second goal arrived after the match had entered four minutes of added time. Mbappé first saw a close-range left-footed shot kept out after Bentaleb’s assist. Then, in the 93rd minute, Kjærgaard found him again and the Lille substitute converted with his left foot from the middle of the penalty area.
Anis Ouzenadji required treatment shortly before the final whistle, but Lille saw out the remaining minutes to complete a composed 2-0 victory.
