Lille Suffers Disappointing Loss to Le Havre, Struggling in Ligue 1

Eppe Franklyne –

• Lille’s latest setback: Lille endured a 2-1 home defeat to Le Havre, following a painful exit from the French Cup.
• Le Havre’s resurgence: Goals from Kouka and Issa Soumare (his first for the club) ended Le Havre’s nine-game winless streak and lifted them off the bottom of the table, temporarily.
• Lille’s late response: Substitute Chuba Akpom scored in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat.
• Lille’s mixed season: Despite impressive Champions League progress, including a 6-1 victory over Feyenoord, Lille’s domestic form falters with a fourth loss in Ligue 1, dropping them to fifth place.
• Nice’s rise: Nice took advantage of Monaco’s defeat by beating 10-man Lens 2-0, climbing to third in the standings.
• Monaco and St. Etienne struggles: Monaco lost 4-1 to PSG, while St. Etienne fell 2-0 to Rennes.

Lille’s disappointing 2-1 loss to Le Havre on Saturday capped off a challenging week, coming just four days after their unexpected exit from the French Cup. The defeat saw Le Havre, powered by goals from Egypt’s Kouka and Senegal’s Issa Soumare, break a nine-match winless streak and temporarily lift themselves off the bottom of the table.

Although Lille made a late push with Chuba Akpom’s stoppage-time goal, it proved too little, too late. This loss marked Lille’s fourth of the season, pushing them down to fifth place in Ligue 1.

In stark contrast, Lille’s performance in the Champions League remains strong. The team recently thrashed Feyenoord 6-1, securing a spot in the knockout stages, and followed that by a comeback victory over St. Etienne in the league. However, a disappointing loss to Dunkerque in the French Cup, where they squandered a 2-0 lead before falling in a penalty shootout, highlighted their inconsistency.

Elsewhere, Nice capitalized on Monaco’s 4-1 loss to PSG by defeating 10-man Lens 2-0, moving up to third in the league. Monaco’s struggles continued, while St. Etienne’s defeat to Rennes added to their woes.