Lille score twice in the first half-hour, then let Angers have the ball for an hour
Giroud at 11', Tiago Santos at 31', and Davide Ancelotti's first league game as Lille coach was effectively over. Angers had 20 shots and Anthony Lopes had a busier afternoon than the scoreline suggests.
Lille needed thirty-one minutes and eight shots on target. Olivier Giroud finished Nabil Bentaleb's pass at 11', Tiago Santos put a right-footed shot into the low corner at 31', and Davide Ancelotti's first league game in charge was already won.
Six of Lille's shots on target came in the first half. Angers, in the same forty-five minutes, had none.
Angers had the second half and the numbers
After the break Angers took the ball and kept it — 57% possession, 20 shots and 1.99 expected goals by full time, against Lille's 1.24. They put two of those twenty on target.
Anthony Lopes made six saves in the Angers goal and was, by some readings, the best player on the pitch in a 2-0 defeat. That is a fair summary of the afternoon: Angers were not outplayed, they were outfinished, and it happened early.
Match facts
- 11' — Olivier Giroud (Lille), assisted by Nabil Bentaleb
- 31' — Tiago Santos (Lille)
- Lille led 6-0 on shots on target at half-time
- Davide Ancelotti's first Ligue 1 match as Lille coach
| Stat | Angers | Lille |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 57% | 43% |
| Total shots | 20 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 2 | 8 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.99 | 1.24 |
| Accurate passes | 400 (85%) | 317 (82%) |
| Corners | 8 | 3 |
| Fouls committed | 11 | 13 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 2 |
| Saves | 6 | 2 |
What's next
Lille start on three points with a striker who is still doing this at Giroud's age. Angers start on zero with a performance worth more than the result, which is the least useful kind of consolation.
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