Strasbourg (AFP)

End of the black series for Lille: led to the score, Losc, who remained on three defeats in the league, reversed the trend to win (2-1) in Strasbourg and get back into the podium race on Saturday during the 22nd day of L1.

Three days after a pitiful elimination (2-1) in the Coupe de France on the lawn of Epinal fans, who play in the fourth division, the Mastiffs still showed signs of weakness but had the merit of hanging on to bring back a capital victory for the Meinau.

Led after a goal by Adrien Thomasson (12th), the Lille, who monopolized the ball, turned things around after the break thanks to a goal from the head of the Brazilian defender Gabriel (65th) then a transformed penalty by the inevitable Nigerian goalscorer Victor Osimhen (80th).

This second success of the season outside in the championship allows the Northerners to replace themselves at the foot of the podium with 34 points, six lengths from the third, Rennes, which they will receive on Tuesday, and eight from Marseille, traveling to Bordeaux on Sunday .

Racing, which had a convincing success in Monaco (3-1) last weekend, fell to ninth place (30 points).

After a balanced start to the game, Losc opened the scoring for Racing on a huge blunder: after capturing a cross, Mike Maignan gives the ball to Renato Sanches just in front of the box, but the latter, pressed by Majeed Waris , slides and Thomasson takes the opportunity to crucify the northern goalkeeper (1-0, 12th).

Knocked out, the Mastiffs quickly regained their senses to take control of operations and monopolize the ball.

Thus, on a Sanches corner, Xeka obtained the first big Lille opportunity with a head pushed back on its line by Kenny Lala (29th). And in the process, Victor Osimhen followed a directed control and a powerful strike which crashed on the crossbar (30th).

- Winning coaching -

But the reaction of the RCSA was quick: Maignan, already not exempt from any reproach on the first Alsatian goal, almost got punished after having slipped out of his area (34th), then on a corner, the goalkeeper Lille misses his clearance in front of Lionel Carole but Xeka emerges in disaster (36th).

Lille continued to monopolize the ball after the break, but without managing to worry about the solid Strasbourg defense, while Ludovic Ajorque narrowly missed the goal of the knockout from the resumption (48th).

Finally, on a corner played quickly by Sanches, Jonathan Ikoné, who came into play shortly before, delivered a perfect cross that Gabriel took over with an unstoppable dive head (1-1, 65th).

With this deserved equalization, Lille pushed to drive the point home and was rewarded: a volley of Luiz Araujo, who had just replaced Loïc Rémy, was diverted by the hand by Carole das the surface, and Osimhen did not leave spend the windfall.

The Nigerian scored his 11th goal of the season in L1 to offer a primordial success to his family (1-2, 80th).

With his winning coaching, Christophe Galtier has put his team back on track. But it will be necessary to confirm in three days against Rennes, under penalty of seeing to move away for good the prospect of finding the Champions League next year.

© 2020 AFP