Lille and Monaco brought the curtain down on Matchday 12 in Ligue 1 with a storming goal-fest that saw Lille edge out the win with a back-and-forth 4-3 victory.
Both sides came into the clash in strong form – while Lille had won three of their last four league matches, the visitors were unbeaten in their last six (W5, D1).
Therefore, it was hardly surprising that we were treated to an entertaining first half, although it didn’t really kick into gear until the 18th minute, when Jonathan Bamba worked Monaco shot-stopper Alexander Nubel with the game’s first shot on target.
It was rather the hosts who took the lead after Adam Ounas’ whipped free-kick was met by Alexsandro, who headed home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Monaco had looked harmless until Caio Henrique lined up a relatively long-range free-kick. His subsequent shot was hardly fierce, but that did not stop Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier from somehow allowing the ball to go between his legs and trickle over the line.
Soon after, though, Les Dogues restored their advantage.
Usual finisher Jonathan David was the architect, beating his man inside the area and prodding past Nubel onto the post before Rémy Cabella tapped home the rebound.
That came six minutes before the interval, yet there was still time for another equaliser before the half-time whistle.
Much like David, Wissam Ben Yedder is known for his goals rather than his assists, but the France international displayed his clever football brain as he squared for Axel Disasi to score instead of going for goal himself.
Early in the second period, Monaco took the lead for the first time. Tiago Djalo will not want to watch the strike back again, as it was from his clumsy control that Ben Yedder won possession just outside the area before coolly chipping over Chevalier.
The goals kept on coming, though, and it was Lille’s turn to restore parity, Cabella running on to David’s ingenious pass before slamming beyond Nubel. Was that the end of the scoring?
Of course it wasn’t, because midway through the half, Lille moved ahead once more. Bamba was the hero on this occasion, dispatching the ball with aplomb into the corner.
That was the last time the net rippled at either end as Lille held on to pick up all three points. Paulo Fonseca’s men leapfrog Monaco in the table as a result and will be on the hunt for another victory when they travel to Lyon next Sunday.
Despite scoring in a 22nd successive Ligue 1 match – the best current streak in the league – Philippe Clement’s team too often lacked concentration and, ultimately, did not deserve anything from the fixture.
