A remarkable defeat to Real Madrid by Lille. Image: Fabrizio Romano
(The Post News)- On Wednesday night, at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, in front of a sell-out crowd of 50,000 people, Lille held on for the victory they deserved after Canada’s, Jonathan David converted from the spot in first-half stoppage time. After losing 2-0 to Sporting Lisbon in their initial match, Lille produced one of their best-ever European performances, but they had to hang on for the win to advance further in the Champions League this season.
In the meantime, Real, who saw Kylian Mbappe play only as a substitute following a thigh injury, fell far short of the form that won them a 15th European Cup the previous year.That might not mean all that much in the end for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, who ended a 36-game winning streak dating back to January with a 3-1 victory against Stuttgart two weeks ago at home.
The biggest clubs on the continent have more leeway thanks to the new 36-team Champions League format, which has everyone playing eight games instead of six.The matchup between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the previous season’s final, as well as matches against AC Milan and Liverpool, could prove to be difficult.
Though it is tough to imagine them losing, they would have had less pressure if they had advanced to the play-off round.However, many Lille players believed that this was their best night ever, and they wanted to make the most of it.This was especially the case for midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who debuted at the age of 17.
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