Metz (AFP)

Burak Yilmaz saves the defending champion again!

Lille, which was manhandled by Metz and played almost the entire second period in numerical superiority, snatched the draw (3-3) at the end of added time, Sunday during the first day of Ligue 1.

Four months after coming to snatch without shining a capital success in the title race (2-0), the Losc was overtaken by the fury of the Messins, galvanized by the support of more than 15,000 spectators at the Stade Saint-Symphorien, and can say a big thank you to his Turkish striker, who equalized at the last second (90th + 6).

Despite a good start to the match, the reigning French champion never seemed very comfortable, committing unusual defensive errors and struggling to find his attackers, even at eleven against ten.

Fabien Centonze with a double (31st, 52nd) and Matthieu Udol (41st) had responded to the initial goal of Sven Botman (23rd) and thought they had put garnets on the path to prestigious success.

But the severe exclusion of Boubakar "Kiki" Kouyaté for a dangerous tackle on Yilmaz (56th) changed the situation and woke the Northerners, who reduced the gap by Jonathan Ikoné (81st) before snatching a point thanks to " king "Burak.

A week after winning the Champions Trophy against Paris SG (1-0) after a solid match, Lille showed many more deficiencies in Moselle against enthusiastic then courageous Lorraine.

- Goal-scoring defenders -

From the start of the match, the reigning French champion took control of operations and confiscated the ball, quickly obtaining the first opportunity: on a cross from Burak Yilmaz, Centonze almost deceived his goalkeeper, Jonathan Bamba recovered the ball and centered for Jonathan David, who did not frame his head (10th).

Sven Botman celebrates his opener for Lille against Metz in Ligue 1 on August 8, 2021 at the Saint-Symphorien stadium in Metz JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN AFP

Losc logically opened the scoring on his second situation.

On a corner, Yusuf Yazici found the head of Botman, who scored his first goal for Lille (0-1, 23rd).

Led, the Garnets then revolted and cracked three times in twenty minutes the defense of Lille, yet so solid last season (only 23 goals conceded in 38 matches).

It was first the full-backs who made the powder speak, with a superb center from Thomas Delaine for Centonze, left free of any marking by Reinildo and who equalized with a cross header (1-1, 31st).

Then after a succession of one-two messins, Udol, another defender, inherited the ball in the box and placed a victorious strike (2-1, 41st).

Meanwhile, Leo Jardim had narrowly hijacked a missile from Pope Matar Sarr (34th).

- The Kouyaté turning point -

Then on the return from the locker room, the Mosellans aggravated the mark with a little success: at the end of a nice overflow on the right side, Centonze was narrowly preceded in the box by Botman, whose clearance rebounded on the defender's shin Metz before finishing at the back of the net (3-1, 52nd).

Kouyaté's red card was a turning point and complicated the task of Metz, who curled up in front of his goal to push back the waves of Lille.

The Northerners believed to reduce the gap in stride, but the goal of Benjamin André was finally canceled by the VAR for an offside position of the former Rennais (59th).

Malian defender Boubakar Kouyate, from Metz, leaves the lawn after his exclusion against Lille in Ligue 1 on August 8, 2021 at the Saint-Symphorien stadium in Metz JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN AFP

By dint of making the siege of the Lorraine surface, Losc managed to reduce the gap thanks to Ikoné, who scored with the flat foot on a cross from Isaac Lihadji (3-2, 81st).

After several opportunities from Renato Sanches (83rd), Bamba (87th) or even Lihadji (90th + 1), it was finally Yilmaz who donned the savior costume with a shot deflected by Alexandre Oukidja (3-3, 90th + 7), to the delight of the Lille fans who had made the trip to the East.

© 2021 AFP