Incredible: 3-0 at San Siro! Lille, with the manner and a hat-trick from Yazici, brought down AC Milan in their den, Thursday, November 5, during the third day of the Europa League, ending 24 unbeaten matches of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Rossoneri .
This looks like a good habit for Lille which, with this well-deserved feat, signs the second victory in its history on the ground of AC Milan, after that of Claude Puel’s team in 2006 in the Champions League.
Losc stretches its own unbeaten streak to twelve matches this season and above all takes the lead of Group H of the Europa League with one point ahead of the Milanese. A perfect blow against the leader of Serie A after the points abandoned against Celtic at home (2-2) a week ago.
Another hat-trick from Yacizi
All Lille, up to goalkeeper Mike Maignan, decisive on rare occasions in Lombardy, responded to this prestigious meeting. But it is Yusuf Yazici the man of the evening with his three goals against Gianluigi Donnarumma, two weeks after a first hat-trick against Sparta Prague! A penalty obtained and transformed by him (22e), a powerful strike at the start of the second half (55e) and another in finesse at the end of a beautiful collective movement (58e). And he was not far from signing a quadruplet …
Milan, for its part, showed little or nothing and could not count, this time, on a stroke of genius from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, still silent in the group stage of C3. The Swede will have tried with his head (12e) and found on his way an excellent Mike Maignan on an overpowering free kick (25e). At 3-0, his coach Stefano Pioli preferred to take him out on time, no doubt to give him a little breath.
The French Rossoneri defender Theo Hernandez also tried things but his strikes missed the target (19e) then found Maignan (38e). Far too poor for the Milanese who concede their first defeat of the season.
Lille coach Christophe Galtier relishes what he considers his “Greatest achievement” staff : “That we can win in Milan, yes I thought so. From the moment the players decided to surpass themselves, I knew we were capable of it. Afterwards, to win 3-0… The players surpassed themselves, that was one of the keywords of the pre-match chat: to surpass themselves. “
The only regret for Lille: striker Jonathan David, the most expensive recruit in the club’s history, did not take advantage of the Milanese largesse to finally score his first goal, despite a big opportunity to 0-0. This makes him a goal for the return match on November 26 in Lille.
Nice in trouble
Nice, deprived for several months of its captain Dante, did not do as well as Lille, by far: defeat in the Czech Republic (3-2) against Slavia Prague, however diminished by five absences caused by the Covid-19.
Despite a good Amine Gouiri, the Aiglons, too far from the commitment imposed by a European match, have slowly given up to already concede their second defeat in three games in the competition.
Led from the 16e minute, the Nice equalized by Gouiri who signed his third goal in the test (33e), but the Praguois took off thanks to two new goals before the break (43e) and at the end of the match (71e). The reduction of the gap by Ndoye (90 + 3) was much too late.
With three small points, the Gym find themselves 3rd in Group C and will have to win in three weeks in the return match against these same Czechs who pass, them, at the head of the group, tied with the Germans of Bayer Leverkusen who logically have defeated Beer Sheva (4-2).
In the other matches involving regulars of C3, Arsenal was led 1-0 by Molde before causing two goals against their side of the Norwegians, then to fly away thanks to Pepe and Willock (4-1). Another Premier League cador, Tottenham easily won on the lawn of Ludogorets (3-1) while Naples had more trouble in Rijeka (2-1) in Croatia. The evening cards were won by AS Roma against the Romanians in Cluj (5-0) and by the Foxes in Leicester against the Portuguese in Braga (4-0).
