Ligue 1 McDonald's, Round 9, 30/10/2026
Lille OSC would narrowly defeat local rivals RC Lens in the 125th Derby du Nord thanks to a late winner from Olivier Giroud. (1-0)
It was always going to be a full-blooded affair even if the atmosphere was somewhat dampened with no away support. Both sides embraced physicality and let loose heavy challenges, with Lille coming out the worse for it in the early stages. Ethan Mbappé looked as if he was in some discomfort following Michaël Cuisance stepping on his foot.
However, the Lille winger was able to continue, and threatened the scores with a curling effort that bounced just the wrong side of the post, albeit it looked as if Robin Risser had it covered. It was to be a warning for how the first half would play out, as Les Dogues dominated the ball and the chances.
Soriba Diaoune had a couple of golden moments to give his side the lead. A header following a weighted lob from Nabil Bentaleb was blocked by Risser, while a cannoned effort from within the box took a deflection and was denied by the crossbar.
Lens's threat was largely limited, although they had one particular dangerous moment when Saud Abdulhamid combined with Florian Thauvin on the counter. Abdulhamid let fly, but a save off Berke Özer's knee would keep the game in limbo.
Lille carried on from where they left off after the break, with Mbappé proving a menace in the final third. The teenager tested the gloves of Risser with several pot shots, although it was down the other end where he almost had the biggest impact.
A mix-up between Mbappé and Maxima Goffi allowed Thauvin to stream free on on goal. A rare poor touch from the 2018 World Cup winner allowed Özer to race off his line and deny the Lens captain. However, that was a rare departure from what was generally one-way traffic.
As the game wore on, it felt as if a single goal would be all that was needed for either side to win the derby. Control somewhat began to slip in the final minutes as tired legs began to make more frequent mistakes. The game as a result began to stretch.
With four minutes left, the break would finally occur. A long range effort from Bentaleb would be parried by Risser, but the substitute Olivier Giroud was waiting to touch home the rebound and give Les Dogues the narrow, but deserved win.
Berke Özer, 5
Romain Perraud, 5
Alexsandro, 6
Nathan Ngoy, 5
Maxima Goffi, 5
Benjamin André, 7
Nabil Bentaleb, 8
A player who has really shone under Davide Ancelotti. He was orchestrating much of Lille's game tonight, pulling the strings and allowing the team to move as a fluid unit. It felt right that his effort from long-range would be the catalyst for Lille finally breaking the deadlock and taking the bragging rights.
Ngal'ayel Mukau, 6
Soriba Diaoune, 7
The teenager wasn't on the scoresheet, but looked dangerous for much of the game. A player we highlighted in our prospects guide at the start of the season. His shooting in the first half and his delivery from wide in the second looked as if they were causing Lens serious issues.
Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, 5
Ethan Mbappé, 7
Robin Risser, 7
It looked as if the France international was on course for his first clean sheet since the Trophée des Champions victory over Paris Saint-Germain, and one that he looked as if he thoroughly deserved. He was called into action frequently with Lens beseiged for much of the game. However, he wouldn't be able to stop Lille from breaking the deadlock.
Jean-Clair Todibo, 5
Samson Baidoo, 5
Ruben Aguilar, 5
Matthieu Udol, 6
Amadou Haidara, 5
Michaël Cuisance, 4
Saud Abdulhamid, 6
Florian Sotoca, 4
Thorgan Hazard, 3
Quite a bizarre choice from Yannick Cahuzac to go with Thorgan Hazard as his number nine for tonight's game. The attacking midfielder acted as a false nine, but with Lens having so little of the ball, that meant they largely didn't really have much of a threat up front. He had almost no impact in the game outside of a shot early on in the match.
Florian Thauvin, 4
