PLAYER RATINGS | Lille 0-1 Crvena zvezda: Les Dogues suffer in first-leg defeat | OneFootball

UEFA Europa League, Play-off, 19/02/2026

Lille OSC’s hopes of progressing to the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 took a hit as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Crvena zvezda in the first-leg of their play-off. Pressure remains on Bruno Génésio, with this being the 7th defeat he’s overseen since the start of 2026. 

The Match

Lille looked nervous from the first whistle, as Zvezda looked to hit them early. Vladimir Lučić looked to feed Jay Enem into the box, forcing a last-ditch intervention from Nathan Ngoy to prevent a dangerous chance in the first half. 

This seemed to be the story of the first half for Lille as they made unforced errors, which required desperate defending. Les Dogues were living on the edge. And while they pushed numbers forward, they had little to show for it, with Matheus barely challenged. 

Still, it would take Zvezda almost the last act of the half to turn obvious superiority into a lead. As Tomás Händel’s low delivery from a corner was turned in by Franklin Tebo Uchenna. There was enough time for Lille to kick off before the whistle blew and the boos rang out. 

At half-time, Bruno Génésio elected to end his experiment with Ayyoub Bouaddi as a makeshift right-back. The midfielder, who had struggled out of position, was moved back into his orthodox role with Tiago Santos coming on for Hákon Arnar Haraldsson. Nabil Bentaleb also replaced Ngal’ayel Mukau. 

Lille’s struggles in front of goal continued, but like Zvezda, they came closest from set-pieces. Bentaleb’s delivery from a corner finding Mandi at the near post, but the centre-back couldn’t poke his shot past the crowd of white shirts that flocked him. 

The more dangerous chances fell to the visitors, Berke Özer was able to prevent Zvezda from doubling their lead when he dived to prevent the substitute Marko Arnautović from scrambling a shot in. In truth, it was a game of very few big chances, and seven added minutes did little to change that. 

The one goal was enough for Zvezda as they saw out the victory. A small lead ahead of the decider in Serbia next week, but what could prove to be a mountain for this misfiring Lille side. 

Lille Player Ratings

Berke Özer, 6

Romain Perraud, 5

Aïssa Mandi, 6

As is so often the case, Mandi was the best player in a Lille shirt. The centre-back was vital in defence and for much of the match looked like the Lille player with the gumption and drive to actually try and score… not a great sign when you’re meant to be a centre-back. 

Nathan Ngoy, 5

Ayyoub Bouaddi, 4

It was baffling that Bruno Génésio decided to play Ayyoub Bouaddi at right-back tonight. He had struggled against Stade Brestois on the weekend, when this experiment was debuted. And against Zvezda, it was a disaster. Bouaddi made a number of unforced errors and looked deeply uncomfortable. A marked improvement when he was played in his usual position. Who could have known? 

Benjamin André, 5

Ngal’ayel Mukau, 3

Replaced by Nabil Bentaleb (5) at half-time. 

Félix Correia, 3

Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, 2

The chaos and confusion that has surrounded Lille’s recent performances was reflected in their midfielder, who didn’t seem to have a defined position tonight as he dropped further and further back. He had a great chance to test Matheus, but blasted his shot over the bar. It’s been a bad start to the year, and there was little surprise that he was replaced at half-time. Replaced by Tiago Santos (5) at half-time. 

Gaëtan Perrin, 3

Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 3

Selected Crvena Zvezda Player Ratings

Franklin Tebo Uchenna, 7

Rade Krunić, 7

GFFN | Nick Hartland