Tiago Santos left the Pierre-Mauroy on a stretcher, hiding his face behind his shirt as Lille supporters rose to applaud him. For the Portuguese right-back, the fear was immediate: the injury concerned the same left knee that had already kept him out for almost a year.
The move
Santos, 24, was hurt in the 17th minute of Lille’s Ligue 1 meeting with Le Havre after a poorly controlled tackle from Amir Richardson. The Lille defender received treatment on the pitch before being taken off five minutes later.
Academy defender Maxima Goffi, 18, came on in the 22nd minute to replace Santos. It was an early and unwanted call for a young player stepping into a match after Lille had lost one of their senior defenders.
Richardson was neither booked nor sent off by referee Bastien Dechépy. VAR had time to review the incident and could have recommended an on-field review, but no disciplinary action followed.
The immediate concern was heightened by Santos’s recent history. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee during training in October 2024 and did not return until the end of September 2025.
The French season around it
Lille’s staff offered a cautious note of encouragement at the start of the second half. Mickael D’Amore, assistant to head coach Davide Ancelotti, said Santos appeared to be feeling better after the initial scare.
“It seemed to be improving, so we will see,” D’Amore said.
Any further assessment will be closely watched at Lille, with Santos having only recently resumed his place after his long rehabilitation from the previous serious injury to the same knee.
- Tiago Santos — Lille’s 24-year-old Portuguese right-back, injured in the left knee.
- Maxima Goffi — Lille academy defender, 18, introduced in the 22nd minute.
- Amir Richardson — Le Havre midfielder involved in the tackle.
- Mickael D’Amore — assistant coach to Lille manager Davide Ancelotti.
