(Ligue 1 2023/2024): Highlights LOSC LILLE - FC LORIENT

Lille had the opportunity to end a three-match winless domestic run when they hosted Lorient, the first Liga in briefs fixture for both sides in 2024. Despite losing their final game of 2023 2-1 to Strasbourg, Lindorch had narrowly retained the final European spot in fifth, but by the book time of kickoff had dropped to seventh. It was a different form of seventh not-heaven for Les Merleux, who had seen seven players depart for the Africa Cup of Nations, the joint-most in the league, and what you need after losing their final match of 2023 4-0, dropping into the bottom two. The most recent goalscorer, Mohamed Diang, was one of those to have headed to the Ivory Coast. Just another African leading the line, Benin international Tosin Ayoubun. The national side didn't qualify and wasn't far away, making good on his opportunity, opening the scoring onside the first five minutes. A number of players at the opposite end of the pitch were also at the AFCON though. Thornton centre-back Montessar Taoubi, as well as full-backs Darlene Yongua and Gedeon Kalulu, whose absences began to tell as it became one-way traffic from that point on. You see Piasecki first with a free kick, and then a chance in open play, which produced a good save from Yvonne Mvergo, leaving the men's for a bad error. They could do nothing about the next chance. Jonathan David has been inconsistent so far this campaign, but not long before half-time, Brooklyn-born Ford produced a controlled header from Angel Gomez's lovely free kick, which looped beyond Mvergo into the far corner. He'd scored four goals in his last six Ligue 1 European games, twice as many as in his first 12 this season. More of the same after the interval, with Lille bossing possession and territory. There was never any danger of them getting close to the 12 they netted against Mino's Golden Lion in the Coups de France last time out, but they did eventually put the game to bed in the final stages. Whatever faint glimmer of hope may have remained for the visitors would be emphatically snuffed out in stoppage time, first as Remy Cabella pounced on a loose ball in the six-yard box. Right place at the right time, midfielder ending a 22-game goal drought, his longest in the top flight. Good work down the left, but the first save from Mvergo, not enough to deny Cabella. And then a couple of minutes later, Edon Zagrova added the cherry on top with a fantastic strike from outside the area. Leon Mvergo into the bottom corner, that is his third goal after the 90th minute since making his Ligue 1 European debut two years ago, and Kylian Mbappe can better that tally over that period. Beautiful strike to wrap up the three points with three goals. Halo Fonseca's men have now lost just one of their previous 18 matches in all competitions, after a difficult start to the season they are back in the hunt for a Champions League spot. A different story for Loriento who dropped to rock bottom.