Lille 0-0 Saint Etienne
Lille were held to a goalless draw by Saint Etienne on Sunday evening in Ligue 1, meaning the French league leaders hold a one-point advantage at the top of the table heading into next weekend’s final matchday.
Having led perennial champions Paris Saint-Germain by three points at the start of the day, Lille came into the match knowing they could seal the French title if both sets of results went their way. Instead, the Flanders club will travel to Angers next weekend needing a victory to be certain of glory.
Skipper José Fonte played the full ninety minutes against St Etienne at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, while Renato Sanches and Xeka were both introduced in the final half hour. Fonte expressed some frustration with the visiting team’s tactics, but says focus must quickly switch to the historic meeting with Angers next Sunday.
“Maybe we lacked a bit [today] offensively,” Fonte said. “But it’s amazing the way Saint-Etienne played. They haven’t played like that before. But it’s up to us to score.
“We have to win the last one match. We worked a lot [today] and unfortunately we did not score, but we remain first and we focus for the final against Angers. We will be there. Usually we’ve been good away from home. We will prepare well for the last match. We have to win this final.”
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain beat 10-man Reims with Portugal’s Danilo Pereira in midfield. PSG travel to Brest on the final matchday needing to better Lille’s result against Angers to snatch the Ligue 1 title.
By Sean Gillen
