A perfect evening for Lille. This Sunday, LOSC brought down Lens (1-0) for the first time this season in Ligue 1. A Northern derby where it was partly a question of penalties. Lucas Chevalier, the young 20-year-old Lille goalkeeper first stopped Florian Sotoca’s attempt in an exercise then succeeded, shortly before the break, by Jonathan David. Chevalier explained after the meeting that he had received a call from Mike Maignan in the afternoon. The AC Milan goalkeeper who guarded the Lille cages before him put a little pressure on his young successor.
At the microphone of Prime Vdéo, Chevalier says: “I was in the middle of a nap in the dark. I answer, and he says to me: “you have no interest in screwing up!”. But really, the pressure! I thought of him at the time of the penalty. In his first match with Lille, he stopped one. I always need a ball in a game to build my confidence. To do it on a penalty in the derby, I think that helps a lot. It will be unforgettable. Plus the first clean sheet (of the season). Today, we put heart, it’s a collective work, apart from the fact that I stop the penalty. I still had a lot of apprehension. It’s a derby, my first as a pro. It was important to win for the supporters, because it is above all for them. I was under a lot of pressure, I’m not going to hide it, it was hard from start to finish. It ended very well, I’m happy. »
Thanks to this success, LOSC moved up to 6th place in the standings, five points behind its northern rival, still 4th. Paulo Fonseca’s players celebrated their victory in their own way with their supporters. A success that could allow them to revive. The Mastiffs will travel to Alsace on Friday near Strasbourg (14th), which gave itself a breath of fresh air this weekend in Angers (3-2).