Substitute Giroud settles northern derby as Lille beat Lens 1-0 to go second
Olivier Giroud struck in the 86th minute to give Lille a 1-0 derby win over Lens on Friday. The veteran substitute pounced on a rebound to lift Lille provisionally to second, two points behind PSG.
Archive image · Photo: Антон Зайцев / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Lille beat Lens 1-0 in Ligue 1's northern derby on Friday night, with substitute Olivier Giroud scoring the only goal in the 86th minute. Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser could only parry a powerful long-range shot from Nabil Bentaleb, and Giroud was on hand to convert the rebound. The former France striker had come on for Ethan Mbappe in the 73rd minute. It was the 125th derby between the clubs, played at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Lille dominated for long spells but were held up by poor finishing and by Risser, who made six saves, including a close-range stop from Hakon Arnar Haraldsson. Soriba Diaoune hit the crossbar for Lille in the first half. At the other end, Florian Thauvin wasted the visitors' best chance just before the hour when Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer won the one-on-one.
The win lifts Lille provisionally to second on 18 points, two behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Lens, who had won their previous three league games, stay eighth on 13 points.