PLAYER RATINGS | Lille 6-1 Feyenoord: Les Dogues demolish visitors to stake place in Round of 16 | OneFootball

UEFA Champions League, Match 8, 29/01/2025

Lille OSC hosted Feyenoord tonight in a match that offered the chance for either side to stake a place in the Champions League Round of 16. Both teams had ensured knockout football ahead of this game, but a victory (alongside results elsewhere) provided the slim hope of skipping the playoffs and entering the Round of 16.

The Match

Les Dogues attacked with purpose from the first whistle. Osame Sahraoui threatened in the second minute before finding the net in the fourth. Rémy Cabella was the orchestrator, a brilliant pass tore apart the Feyenoord defence to find the Moroccan international. Sahraoui’s shot was delicate and teasingly slow as it trickled past Justin Bijlow.

Feyenoord in the 10th minute had the ball in the back of the net. However, Santiago Giménez would see his effort ruled out after the referee deemed Antoni Milambo to have fouled Lucas Chevalier in the build-up. The visitors kept pushing, Igor Paixão stung the palms of the Lille keeper forcing a corner. A good delivery from the resulting set piece found Gernot Trauner whose header towards goal was poked home by Giménez.

The Dutch side were hit with a series of injuries as the striker Giménez and the goalkeeper Bijlow were forced off the pitch before the halftime whistle. Momentum shifted in Lille’s favour and Sahraoui took advantage helping to return the one-goal lead when he delivered a cross that Trauner directed into his own net.

Feyenoord came out with renewed vigour in the second half. However, they would be undone by another own goal. Mitchel Bakker played Angel Gomes into the box, the Englishman then looked to fire a shot at goal. His effort took a big deflection from centre-back Dávid Hancko.

Jonathan David and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson replaced Mohamed Bayo and Gomes. David would find his name on the scoresheet in the 74th minute when the teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi sliced a stunning pass to find the Canadian in the box. Two minutes later and Trauner found himself in the scoresheet again, when the Feyenoord centre-back scored another own goal.

The disaster would continue. Four minutes after conceding their fifth, Lille would register the sixth. The influential Sahraoui chipped the substitute Timon Wellenreuther to find Rémy Cabella. The experienced attacking midfielder would score his first-ever Champions League goal. The match was over before the whistle was blown.

Lille had done their part. The question remained. Was that enough to get into the Round of 16? As the final whistles blew across Europe it was confirmed, Lille would finish the league phase in 7th and as the highest-placed French team. They had done more than enough to secure their place in the Round of 16.

Lille Player Ratings

Lucas Chevalier – 6

Mitchel Bakker – 8

Alexsandro – 7

Bafodé Diakité – 6

Thomas Meunier – 5

Ngal’ayel Mukau – 7

Ayyoub Bouaddi – 8

Rémy Cabella – 8

Angel Gomes – 8

Replaced by Hákon Arnar Haraldsson in the second half. A really good performance from the Englishman. He looked comfortable in the advanced role. The ball stuck to him and his ability to read the game was on full display. Vital for the third goal.

Osame Sahraoui – 9

A statement game for the summer signing. It will be a hard task for Bruno Génésio to drop him after this match (although perhaps not – see Mohamed Bayo’s inclusion). Sahraoui had big boots to fill with Edon Zhegrova out injured for several weeks, and he did the job with aplomb. He looked dangerous from the first minute and opened the scoring early. He then forced the second by

Mohamed Bayo – 4

Replaced by Jonathan David in the second half. The big surprise on the teamsheet was Bruno Génésio picking Bayo over David. It was a decision that paid off in one way (Lille were 3-1 up when the striker left the field) but it’s hard to see what the striker offered during a rare start.

Selected Feyenoord player ratings

Timon Wellenreuther – 2

Gernot Trauner – 2

Dávid Hancko – 3

GFFN | Nick Hartland