From our special correspondent in London
,
We knew that the mission was almost impossible, and unfortunately everything went as planned.
Beaten 2-0 on Tuesday on the lawn of Chelsea in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, Lille has not been unworthy but has already sealed its chances of turning the tide in three weeks at the Pierre Mauroy stadium.
The worst part is that we believed for a good hour but, even without putting on a great match, the reigning European champions were able to take full advantage of Lille's weaknesses.
If nothing is done yet, it is clearly necessary to be a member of the family of Bernadette Soubirous to still believe in a reassembly.
Gourvennec's tactical bet will have lasted seven minutes
By fielding five midfielders at kick-off (Bamba, André, Xeka, Onana, Sanches), Gourvennec hoped to revive the Maginot line in the heart of London.
Alas, the offensives of the German Kai Havertz only took seven minutes to smash the defenses of Lille.
After missing a huge chance in the 4th minute, the Chelsea striker, free of any marking, was quick to place a header at the near post (7th) and open the scoring.
With such a start to the match, the option of placing Onana as a second striker behind David quickly took a turn for the worse.
Sanches kept hope alive for an hour
If his suitcases for another European club are already ready for this summer, Renato Sanches delivered one of his last
masterclasses
in the Lille jersey on Tuesday.
Strangely more visible against Chelsea than against Clermont, Metz or Lorient, the Portuguese allowed Lille to believe in it for an hour, despite the goal quickly conceded by his team.
Back from injury, the midfielder showed why he could turn into a world-class player on big nights.
At the wand of the Lille game, he broke the lines, distributed good passes and helped keep Lille alive for a while.
Despite a few chances, Losc was too weak offensively to come back to score.
And when Sanches started to weaken physically in the second half, the Mastiffs weren't really dangerous anymore.
Kanté disgusted Losc
If Lille are already on the verge of elimination, it is partly their fault.
Tuesday, N'Golo Kanté was as often in the oven and in the mill in the London environment.
In a team that did not really impress, except at the start of the match, the world champion fulfilled his role without false note.
His breakthrough on the hour mark, on which he made love to the northern defense before serving Pulisic on a plateau for the second goal (63rd), is a model of its kind.
At Chelsea, Tuchel can afford to leave Lukaku on the bench as was the case on Tuesday.
Conversely, the question almost never arises for a French dream breaker of the clubs of his country.
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