David at the double as Lille come from behind to sink struggling Atletico Madrid
With one eye on the Derby du Nord against RC Lens at the weekend, Bruno Génésio surprisingly chose to rest key players such as Angel Gomes and David for their trip to the Metropolitano Stadium.
Unfortunately for the veteran coach, it was a decision that would backfire inside the opening 10 minutes, as Atleti were gifted a goal by Ousmane Touré on his first senior start. The teenager woefully under-hit his back pass to the goalkeeper, allowing Julián Alvarez to smash his finish beyond Lucas Chevalier into the back of the net.
It was the perfect way for the home side to shake off memories of their joint-heaviest defeat in UCL history against Benfica last time out, and despite Lille matching them for large parts of the first half, the Spanish side should have been further ahead by half time.
Alexander Sørloth had a half to forget as he missed a trio of great chances, most notably putting the ball out for a throw-in when bearing down on goal in the second minute of the match.
Having not kept a clean sheet in their previous seven games, Diego Simeone’s men were far from safe with the score at 1-0, and after a nervy start to the second half, Lille found their way back into the game.
A sweeping move from front to back saw the ball make its way to first-half substitute Edon Zhegrova, whose curling shot took a deflection and flew into the corner beyond Jan Oblak.
It marked the start of a remarkable and controversial comeback – another chapter in Lille’s magical story against teams from Madrid.
Confusion reigned when referee Guida pointed to the spot in the 70th minute after an innocuous passage of play in the box. Following a lengthy VAR check and not much evidence of an infringement, the decision was not overturned and David slotted the ball home to leave Los Colchoneros enraged but ultimately defeated.
David was at the double to add more pain to the home fans’ night, as a huge deflection diverted his shot over Oblak to seal an incredible night for Les Dogues.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Benjamin André (LOSC Lille)