PLAYER RATINGS | Lille 3-4 PAOK FC: Leaky Les Dogues punished in Europa League thriller | OneFootball

UEFA Europa League, Matchday 3, 23/10/25

Lille OSC were punished at home by PAOK FC in an instant classic as they lost 4-3 in a breathless match. 

The Match

Substitute Romain Perraud had warned in the pre-match press conference that this wouldn’t be a “trap” and that Lille were aware of PAOK’s talents, “If they’re here, it’s because they’re a good team.” However, it felt as if Les Dogues were not quite up to speed with the dangers of their opposition as they played out a nightmare first half. 

The warning signs were there when PAOK registered the first shot of the night, Giannis Konstantelias left Nathan Ngoy and Tiago Santos trying to catch up as he cut inside and released a curling effort that fell kindly into Berke Özer’s parry. Matias Fernandez-Pardo flashed a couple of chances, which Antonis Tsiftsis dealt with comfortably. 

Ex-Lille midfielder Soualiho Meïté would come back to haunt his former side when he opened the scoring in the 19th minute. He was found on the edge of the box, with no one ready to close him down. The captain, Andrija Živković, would double the lead when he latched onto a long ball over the top of the Lille defence, outmuscled Ngoy, and poked his shot home. 

Lille thought they’d have a chance to stem the bleeding when Fernandez-Pardo was brought down in the box from a tug on the shirt by Tomasz Kędziora. VAR asked the referee to consult the pitchside monitor, but after a lengthy review, he stuck with his on-field decision. In the aftermath, Lille would concede their third. Ngoy’s clearance was stolen by PAOK, and Santos didn’t track back to prevent Konstantelias from cutting in from out wide and letting the net ripple. 

Benjamin André would give Lille a lifeline in the 57th minute, when PAOK switched off at a corner, allowing Calvin Verdonk to find the head of his captain. Shortly after, Hamza Igamane stung Tsiftsis’s palms from distance. Mbemba off a corner would again keep the goalkeeper busy, as Lille maintained pressure. 

Igamane would close the gap when Verdonk’s corner found Meunier at the near post. The right back flicked the ball towards the summer signing, who looped his effort over the keeper and into the net. Lille almost immediately conceded a penalty, with André bringing down Konstantelias. Živković stepped up, but would see his attempt saved by Özer. He wouldn’t have to wait long for redemption, as a few minutes later, he would be on the scoresheet again. 

The game would not settle down, and four minutes later, Igamane would cut the deficit down in the 78th minute. Mbemba released a long ball to Igamane, the striker spun, losing Kędziora and hitting a venomous shot on the bounce. Mbemba would be denied an equaliser at point-blank range, Igamane would see a free kick whistle inches wide off the post, and Fernandez-Pardo would kiss the post. 

Lille thought they had gotten an equaliser in the 97th minute, but André would block Olivier Giroud’s attempt before putting the ball into the net from an offside position. VAR would rule the goal off. There was still late drama as Kędziora picked up a second yellow, but there would not be enough time for Lille.

Lille Player Ratings

Berke Özer, 4

Calvin Verdonk, 6

The fullback’s set-piece delivery was crucial to delivering Lille a lifeline back into what felt like a hopeless game. Lille wouldn’t be able to do it in the end, but they came close, and it was no small part due to his play. 

Aïssa Mandi, 3

Nathan Ngoy, 2

The centre-back’s performance was made worse by the fact that he was replacing Chancel Mbemba, who had been extremely impressive on Sunday. His positioning was bad throughout; he played Živković onside for the second, then could neither beat him in a footrace nor outmuscle him. He was again bad for the third, and was dragged out of position, but wasn’t helped by Tiago Santos wandering upfield. The two had zero chemistry and zero compatibility. Replaced at half-time by Chancel Mbemba. 

Tiago Santos, 2

The right-back matched Ngoy’s terrible night. He was uninterested in helping out his team on defence and provided little attacking impetus. He lost Živković for the second goal, letting Ngoy deal with the winger. And on the third, he was lazy and didn’t bother tracking back to help out his team, which left Ngoy once again exposed. The manager has to take some blame; Santos has never been committed to defending, and Ngoy’s positioning has been poor this season. It was like lighting a match around oil and wondering why there was an explosion. Replaced at half-time by Thomas Meunier. 

Benjamin André, 4

Ugo Raghouber, 4

Replaced by Ayyoub Bouaddi in the 61st minute. 

Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 5

Osame Sahraoui, 4

Félix Correia, 4

Replaced by Olivier Giroud in the 61st minute. 

Hamza Igamane, 7

GFFN | Nick Hartland