The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lille

  • Osimhen to dig deep against tough Nimes Defence

     

    Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen will need to triple efforts if he is to break Nimes defence and continue his goal cruise, analysts have submitted ahead of the Ligue 1 clash on Sunday.

    Though Osimhen and his teammates failed to run away with the needed victory after he shot the side into the lead in the Champions League clash against Chelsea on Wednesday, he was nonetheless hailed for his swift response to Tammy Abraham’s 22nd minute goal. Lille remains rooted to the bottom of Group H after that 2-1 loss but attention will turn to the league where 15th placed Nimes come calling.

    The goal against Chelsea is the Nigerian’s seventh strike of the season in all competitions, and he has now been involved in nine goals in just 10 appearances for Les Dogues.

    Nimes defence according to the analysts have been superb lately conceding only twice in their last five outings, thus keeping three clean sheets in the process and hoping to maintain the tempo in the Sunday away tie against Lille.

    Meanwhile Moses Simon and his Nantes teammates will be riding on their lone goal victory over Olympique Lyonnaise last Saturday to consolidate a week later (today) .

    Nantes Moses Simon set for Olympique Lyonnaise

    The Nigerian international was in action for 74 minutes in that encounter.

    Samuel Kalu and Josh Maja will be hoping to push aside the lone goal loss to PSG last week and attempt to return to winning ways away as Bordeaux file out against to Toulouse.

    Late last month Bordeaux recorded an impressive 3-1 win over Amiens with Samuel Kalu grabbing the third goal in the 73rd minute.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Champions League: Osimhen down plays Lille’s 3-0 loss to Ajax

    Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen believes he and his Lille teammates have learnt useful lessons following their 3-0 defeat in the Champions league by Ajax on Tuesday.

    Osimhen, who was in action for the entire duration of the match remained optimistic that hope still lies ahead.

    The 20 year apparently not in the mood for long talk after the match simply told his teammates and supporters alike “lesson learned, we move”.

    The former VfL Wolfsburg ace had prior to the match revealed that the entire team was on fire during training.

    Unfortunately the zeal to pull a win or run away with vital point failed to materialise for the hard fighting Nigerian and his teammates who will now be hoping to remedy the situation when Ajax come visiting.

    Osimhen comes close to scoring during tie against Ajax

    Business minded Ajax seized control of the battle of Johan Cruijff Arena on Tuesday as early as the 18th minute with a goal from Quincy Anthon with Álvarez Velázquez and Nicolás Tagliafico increasing the tally in the 50th and 62nd minutes respectively.

    Ajax maintained 56 to 44% possession ratios in Tuesday’s match with seven shots on target against five by Lille.

    Ajax came into Tuesday’s match fresh from a 4-1 victory over Heerenveen in the Dutch league while Lille on their part had recorded a 2-1 home victory over Angers SCO prior in the French Ligue 1

  • Enyeama hails PSG after Barca humiliation

    Enyeama hails PSG after Barca humiliation

    Nigerian star Vincent Enyeama has hailed Paris Saint German (PSG) as one of the best teams in the world following their 4-0 demolition of Spanish giants FC Barcelona during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16-match played in France on Tuesday night.

    Former Manchester United winger Angel di Maria scored twice while goals from Julian Draxler and birthday man Edinson Cavani completed the rout.

    Enyeama played against PSG last week in the Ligue 1 and lost 2-1 with Lille, so he understands the might of the current French Champions.

    Enyeama tweeted after the game, he wrote: “PSG is one of the best teams in the world. Just believe me when I say this. They are very very good.”

    Barcelona have a huge mountain to climb in the return leg and stand the risk of early elimination as no team has ever recovered at this stage of the competition after a four goals deficit.

  • Enyeama savors away victory over Olympique Lyonnais

    Enyeama savors away victory over Olympique Lyonnais

     

     

    It was a pleasant weekend for former Super Eagles safehand and Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama as Lille   earned vital away win at the expense of homers Olympique Lyonnais.

    Lille who occupy the 13th position on the log shocked their hosts in the 38th minutes of the match thanks to Algerian import Yassine Benzia.  The visitors doubled lead in the 80th minute when Benzia again converted a penalty. Interestingly Benzia who became the tormentor in chief was Olympique Lyonnais youth academy graduate.

    The hosts however converted their own penalty six minutes later all efforts to earn eqauliser afterwards proved abortive. A similar visit late last year saw Lille lose 2-0

    With January signing Memphis Depay making his first start for OL, the hosts were optimistic of maintaining their hold on fourth place, particularly as Lille arrived having drawn their previous three games and having won just one of their last ten away matches in the top flight.

    The new addition from Manchester United almost broke the deadlock when he smashed a shot off the bar (9′) before winning a free-kick Mathieu Valbuena sent narrowly over (14′) as OL seemed to be laying the platform for a fourth successive home win.

    That was without counting on Benzia. The LOSC forward, who made his Ligue 1 debut in the colours of OL aged just 17 during the 2012/13 season, first provided Eric Bauthéac with a chance he should not have missed (27′) before taking matters into his own hands.

    Younousse Sankharé picked out the run of his team-mate, and Benzia’s low shot took a ricochet off Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa en route to goal, wrong-footing Anthony Lopes to open the scoring (38′).

    It was Benzia’s first league strike in 24 shots this season, and the first time he had hit the back of the net since 10 January last year.

    Alexandre Lacazette scored his 18th of the season, and his seventh strike in a red-hot streak over five league games, from the penalty spot after he had been fouled by Adama Soumaoro (86′), but could not prevent OL suffering a damaging defeat in their pursuit of a top-three finish.

  • Pressure mounts on Enyeama as Lille tackle Nantes

    Pressure mounts on Enyeama as Lille tackle Nantes

    Former Super Eagles safe hand, Vincent Enyeama will have his hands full when Lille battles Nantes on Saturday at Stade de la Beaujoire.

    The Ligue 1 side has in recent times become embattled after strings of poor results leading to the sacking of Coach Frédéric Antonetti, exactly a year after his appointment.

    Lille have managed just three wins and 10 goals in Ligue 1 and still seem to be suffering a hangover from their Europa League third qualifying round defeat to Qabala of Azerbaijan in August. The club is frantically searching for a fourth coach in barely 18 months with some of the fans expressing worry and the need to get the club back to winning ways.

    The players agree that they need play better and provide better cover for Enyeama if they are to post better result

    “I never would have thought that we could be in this situation,” Eder – supposed to be the star man this season after his Euro 2016 heroics for Portugal – told Friday’s L’Equipe. “It is our fault. We must play better. This is the time to really change things.”

    How far the feeling disappointment can be translated on the pitch to make the needed difference some say will depend how well the team play against fellow strugglers FC Nantes, coached by a familiar face in Girard.

    Interestingly former player Patrick Collot will take interim charge and will be hoping that his effort complemented by the players will yield result even as the fans pray for Enyeama to have a good day in goal.

  • Enyeama, Lille seek away remedy

    Enyeama, Lille seek away remedy

    Former Super Eagles number one goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and his Lille teammates will be hoping to improve their away record this season as they take on Angers SCO at the Stade Jean Bouin today. The Frédéric Antonetti tutored side have managed to pull a draw in one of their five away matches losing four and conceding nine goals,  scoring four. Lille are heading into the  match fresh from a lone goal defeat by PSG at home with Uruguay international Edinson Cavani playing the spoiler for Enyeama no thanks to his 65th minute goal. Prior to the home loss against PSG, the team had handed visiting Bastia a 2-1 defeat in front of 25,932 spectators.

    Homers Angers SCO have only lost one out of their last five home ties winning two and drawing two. The team played out a goalless draw against Toulouse last weekend and will come smoking in an attempt to avoid home defeat.

    Lille currently occupy the 17th position on the Ligue 1 log with 10 points in 11 matches while opponents Angers SCO sit six places above with 14 points in 11 matches.

  • ‘Injured’ Enyeama stars in Lille win

    ‘Injured’ Enyeama stars in Lille win

    Vincent Enyeama, who claimed to be nursing a back injury and so withdrew from international duty with Nigeria, played all 90 minutes as his French club Lille beat Reims 3-1 on Saturday.

    Enyeama won his 100th cap when Uganda upstaged Nigeria at home in a friendly in Uyo last week.

    But the goalkeeper opted out of a second friendly against South Africa in Nelspruit after officials said he has suffered a back injury.

    Surprisingly though, Enyeama was fit to play for Lille days later in a French Ligue 1 match.

    The home win ensured Lille remain in eighth place on the Ligue 1 table with 44 points from 31 matches.

    The goalkeeper, an international since 2001, has hinted on bringing down the curtains on an illustrious career that has seen him feature in three World Cups and win the AFCON in 2013.

    He has alerted the country to start grooming another goalkeeper to take over from him.

  • Enyeama roars: I’m happy at Lille

    Enyeama roars: I’m happy at Lille

    Nigeria international Vincent Enyeama has rejected talk that he will engineer a move away from Lille before the close of the transfer window.

    After Lille crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night, losing 3-0 on aggregate to Porto, a couple of their players are being linked with a move away from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

    However, the Super Eagles goalkeeper has pledged his loyalty to Les Dogues, stressing that the decision on whether or not he remains on the books of the club lies with the management.

    “If the club decides to sell me, that is their choice. Personally, I am not particularly looking to leave the club. I’m happy where I am. I like Lille, the club, the city,” Enyeama told beIN Sports.

    “But if the club woke up and said, ‘Vincent, you have to go’, I would thank them for what they have done and I will. Leaving Lille? I can’t rule it out.”

    The 32-year-old joined Lille in the summer of 2011 from Hapoel Tel Aviv, and has since recorded 41 appearances in Ligue 1.

    His contract with the three-time champions of France will run out on June 30, 2017.

  • Enyeama helps Lille reclaim third spot

    Enyeama helps Lille reclaim third spot

    Super Eagles safe hands Vincent Enyeama and his Lille side reclaimed the third place in Ligue 1 back from Saint-Etienne on Saturday night thanks to a 2-0 home win over Sochaux.

    The Nigerian international was on duty for the entire duration of the encounter to record his 15th clean sheets in 24 Ligue 1 appearances.

    Saint-Etienne had taken occupancy of the Ligue 1 third spot after a Friday night goalless draw at Toulouse but Enyeama and his gang powered three points clear of their rivals for the European place thanks to an emphatic victory over the second from bottom placed Sochaux.

    Divock Origi gave the hosts the ideal start with a third-minute goal, and though they were rarely troubled by their struggling visitors, they had to wait until the third minute of added time at the end of the game before Ryan Mendes set the seal on a long-awaited win.

    The former Le Mans FC and Toulouse goalkeeper Yohann Pele was not helped out by his defence, who failed to clear Florent Balmont’s corner, and Origi ended the penalty area pinball by nodding home from close range to ensure Lille go third with 44 points after 24 league fixtures.

  • Enyeama wins Ligue 1 honour again

    Enyeama wins Ligue 1 honour again

    Super Eagles goal keeper, Vincent Enyeama, has been voted the best player in France’s Ligue 1 for the month of November.

    Enyeama, according to supersport.com, also won the UNFP prize, set aside for the league’s best performer in October.

    He racked up 59 per cent of the votes on offer to beat off competition from PSG superstar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic who nicked 32 per cent of the votes to finish in second place.

    Enyeama and Ibra will come face-to-face in direct competition when PSG hosts Lille OSC at the Parc des Princes on match day 19 of Ligue 1 on Sunday.

    Olympique Marseille midfielder, Florian Thauvin was a distant third in the overall classification with 9 per cent of the votes.

    Enyeama picks up the award for the second successive month despite narrowly failing to break Gaetan Huard’s long-standing record of clean sheets in Ligue 1 after Lille lost 0-1 to Girondins Bordeaux at the Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas on match day 17.

    The 31-year-old has been in great form this season for Lille OSC where he has conceded in just three of the club’s 17 league games this season.

    He recently told supersport.com that his displays have been divinely inspired.

    “I don’t do these things. It’s God. God has always guided me in my career and he has been responsible for all I have been doing,” he said.

    The UNFP trophy will be presented to the Nigerian shot-stopper before the Ligue 1 game between Lille OSC and Stade de Reims on January 12, 2014 at Stade Pierre Mauroy.