Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Round 8, 19/10/2025
Lille OSC travelled to the Stade de la Beaujoire to face an FC Nantes searching for their first victory since the 30th of August. It would prove to be comfortable for Les Dogues as Hákon Arnar Haraldsson and Hamza Igamane downed a youthful and error-prone La Maison Jaune.
The Match
Nantes were unsettled from the start as they tried to play out from the back against a Lille side willing to press high and close down rapidly. The hosts would make a series of errors in front of their goal, gifting Lille the early lead. Chidozie Awaziem’s pass was deflected off-course by Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Félix Correia responded fastest, passing to Olivier Giroud, who set up Hákon Arnar Haraldsson for his third of the season.
Nantes didn’t learn their lesson. Tylel Tati’s backpass was caught by Fernandez-Pardo, the winger rounded the keeper, but couldn’t get the angle to finish the chance. Nantes stormed down the other end of the pitch, Herba Guirassy picking out Matthis Abline. The France youth international’s shot was pushed onto the bar by the outstretched foot of Berke Özer.
Tati was again at fault, as Haraldsson came close to grabbing his second. The centre-back’s pass was intercepted, and Lille quickly transitioned, with Haraldsson flashing his shot against the bar and out for a goal kick. Nantes would have a few bright chances near the end of the half, with Abline coming the closest, hitting the crossbar again from a Guirassy cross.
The halftime break allowed Nantes to settle their early nerves. They didn’t look much more threatening, the Abline chances still the best of the evening, but they at least stopped making regular and inviting errors. Lille were by far the more dominant side, but still, they couldn’t find the second, which would give them some much-needed breathing space.
Some of the threat that had dominated Lille’s first-half play had been lost, and there was a sense that they were happy to try and see out the 1-0 victory as the game entered the final ten minutes. Kwon Hyeok-kyu drove a dangerous shot from outside the box that was deflected out for a corner. The resulting set piece fell to Abline, who couldn’t keep his shot down.
Nantes were showing signs that they were finally growing into the match as the minutes ticked away. However, Lille would take the wind out of the Nantes sails and quieten a lively Beaujoire just before the end of regulation time. Hamza Igamane, on for Olivier Giroud, powered through the centre of the Nantes defence, before picking out the bottom left corner.
Lille Player Ratings
Berke Özer, 6
Romain Perraud, 6
Aïssa Mandi, 7
Chancel Mbemba, 7
The centre-back showed exactly what Olympique de Marseille were missing all of last season, when he was sat out of their campaign. Mbemba was a solid wall alongside Mandi that limited Nantes to only a handful of chances.
Thomas Meunier, 6
Ayyoub Bouaddi, 6
Benjamin André, 6
Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 5
A vital game out-of-possession for the winger, he looked brilliant at closing Nantes down and forcing errors. However, his decision-making is still his fatal flaw. His shot is almost always blocked, and his cross never seems to reach its target. Once this is nailed, he’ll be a highly sought-after player across Europe.
Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, 7
A well-taken goal to give Lille the early lead, he really should have doubled the score. He was lively throughout and had some great moments connecting with Giroud and Correia. However, his rating takes a bit of a knock due to Lille’s general listlessness in attack in the second half.
Félix Correia, 7
Olivier Giroud, 5
Nantes Selected Player Ratings
Tylel Tati, 3
Matthis Abline, 5
Mostafa Mohamed, 4
GFFN | Nick Hartland