Losc travels to London on February 22 to face Cheslea in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
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This is the second time in the history of the club that the Mastiffs pass the group stage of the most beautiful European competition.
Eliminated in 2007 by Manchester United, Grégory Tafforeau and Stéphane Dumont look back on their experience and give advice to Lille.
Fifteen.
This is the number of years it took Losc before finding the knockout stages of the Champions League.
This Tuesday, February 22 (9 p.m.), the Mastiffs travel to London on the lawn of the Chelsea Blues for one of the most important matches in their history.
Enough to revive the memories of Grégory Tafforeau and Stéphane Dumont, former Lille present in 2007 against Manchester United for the first round of 16 in the history of Losc.
“We were on a little cloud.
It's a lot of pride, ”assure together fifteen years after the two former glories of the northern club.
At the time, Claude Puel's Losc had won its qualification for the European top 16 by winning the pool at San Siro (0-2) against the great AC Milan, future winner of the event.
A disappointment and regrets against giant Manchester United
But in the round of 16 against the MU of a certain Ronaldo, the Lille club paid for its status as an outsider.
In the first leg (0-1) disputed at the Bollaert stadium, the Mancunians scored at the end of the match on a free kick played too quickly by Giggs, encouraged by the referee to hit him quickly when the Lille defense was not still in place.
“We experienced it as an injustice.
It was traumatic.
It was the small against the big” continues Grégory Tafforeau.
The return to Old Trafford (1-0) will not change the trend.
There is enough to feed regrets but this Lille has "stumbled upon a magnificent club and team" in the eyes of Stéphane Dumont.
Chelsea is scary
Fifteen years later, the step still seems so high.
If Lille were crowned French champions, unlike the 2007 team, Chelsea are simply the reigning European champions.
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The gap is huge and the adversary is formidable but the feat of a qualification remains possible", recognizes Tafforeau.
“They have the advantage of the second leg at home.
We may tend to be a little more defensive on the way out and let go on the return home, ”says the former captain of Losc.
For the moment, the Losc season is marked by ups and downs but Stéphane Dumont "dares to believe it".
“It will be a feat but in a double confrontation, anything is possible, especially in this kind of match where you transcend yourself.
Lille can be a difficult team to play.
For this efficiency, physical and mental condition will have to be put in place, ”assures the current Guingamp coach.
"Having fun and biting into it against Chelsea"
For his part, Grégory Tafforeau believes that the physical fight will be one of the keys to the meeting.
“We need to be athletically responsive against players like Rudiger and Lukaku.
But Lille has the means to be able to thwart Tuchel's plans, ”insists the former Lille defender.
Above all, we shouldn't harbor any regrets like Lille in 2007. “We'll have to score the goals we missed, have fun and bite into it”.
Message sent to José Fonte and his band to thwart the predictions and take an extra step in the legend of the club.
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