TOPS
This is probably the only thing to remember from this dreary evening. Before the match, Paulo Fonseca’s men had to win to ensure their place at the head of the group, and a direct qualification to the round of 16. And that’s what they did this evening, without shining. Thanks to their fourth victory in six matches, the Northerners therefore avoided a trap round-trip meeting, during which they could have crossed paths with Frankfurt or even Dinamo Zagreb. In front of an audience from Pierre-Mauroy who responded on a weekday evening, the Mastiffs got the job done.
Business manager in goods transport, student, electrician… Unlike Lille, Klaksvic’s players do not all have the chance to be full-time footballers. This is also the kind of story that generally happens in the Coupe de France. The visitors could have opened the score on several occasions, and put Lille in difficulty on multiple occasions, against whom they had obtained a draw in the first leg (0-0). Despite the defeat, they can cross Europe again with their heads held high.
FLOPS
Yes, the Mastiffs won this evening. Certainly, they validated their ticket for the eighth. But it was tedious… The approximately 20,000 spectators present in Lille were courageous to support their team wholeheartedly. The Northerners never managed to shake the nets in the game, and had to rely on penalties (which they, for once, well and truly succeeded). Once again in this Conference League, the spectacle was not there, and the meeting singularly lacked rhythm.
At the start of this match, the quartet started by Paulo Fonseca smelled of football: Cabella as leader supporting Yazici, Ounas on the right and… Haraldsson on the left. Unfortunately, and as often since his arrival at the club this summer for 15 million euros, the Icelandic winger has had difficulty justifying the price of his transfer. Too rarely incisive, he failed to undermine the Faroese defense despite the attempts to overwhelm his right-side partner, Ismaily. Rarely a starter in the championship, the 20-year-old failed to seize his chance to shine.
