Lille earned a slim 1-0 win against city rivals Lens in the 125th Derby du Nord, thanks to substitute Olivier Giroud who found the net in the final minutes. The outcome followed a hard-fought match where Lille generated most of the chances but had to wait until the last four minutes to break the deadlock.
Lille controls Derby du Nord versus Lens
The derby was contested at a high tempo even without away fans present. Both sides displayed physicality and engaged in numerous strong tackles, with Lille enduring more difficulty early on. Ethan Mbappé looked in discomfort after Michaël Cuisance stepped on his foot, but the winger managed to play on.
Mbappé quickly posed a threat to the Lens goal with a curling shot that went just wide, though goalkeeper Robin Risser seemed to have it covered. This foreshadowed the first half’s pattern, as Lille held more of the ball and carved out superior opportunities.
Soriba Diaoune came especially near to scoring twice. Initially, his header from a precise lob by Nabil Bentaleb was saved by Risser. Then another strong shot from within the box deflected and hit the crossbar.
Lens posed less offensive danger but still crafted a risky chance on a counter. Saud Abdulhamid linked with Florian Thauvin before trying a shot, but Berke Özer blocked it with his knee to maintain parity.
Olivier Giroud seals late victory for Lille
Lille kept dictating play after the break, with Mbappé a persistent menace in the attacking third. The young player challenged Risser multiple times with long-range attempts, but a key moment involving him occurred at the other end.
A miscommunication between Mbappé and Maxima Goffi let Thauvin go clear on goal. Yet an unusually bad first touch from the 2018 World Cup champion gave Özer time to charge out and stop the Lens skipper.
As the game wore on, it grew evident that one goal might settle the Derby du Nord. Both teams started erring more due to tiredness, opening up the play in the final phases.
The breakthrough came with only four minutes left. Bentaleb fired a long shot that Risser could only deflect, and substitute Olivier Giroud was quickest to pounce and convert the rebound. His late strike clinched a gritty 1-0 win for Lille in the 125th installment of the derby.