They needed a miracle. Lille went and grabbed one — with guts.
Down 1-0 from the first leg at Pierre-Mauroy, the Dogs hit back in the Marakana furnace. 2-0 after extra time against Red Star Belgrade. They scraped through. Season rebooted.
And an unlikely hero.
Giroud opens the scoring — Lille smell it early
In a boiling Belgrade atmosphere, LOSC didn’t hang about. In the 5th minute Olivier Giroud climbs at the near post and thunders André’s inch-perfect cross into the net. 0-1.
Olivier Giroud opens the scoring after just 4 minutes 🔥
Lille have already erased the deficit and must push to grab qualification, live on CANAL+ FOOT. 🖥️#ZVELIL | #UEL pic.twitter.com/hJP066Xejc
— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) February 26, 2026
At 39, the ex-world champion becomes the first French outfield player to start a European knockout at that age. And he scores — naturally.
Giroud led the charge, wiped the tie clean and gave a rattled squad some belief.
Lille dominated the first half, kept possession, shifted right with a lively Tiago Santos. But they couldn’t make the breakthrough. Fernandez-Pardo hit Matheus twice before the break.
The Red Star onslaught, then relief
After the break the Marakana ignites. Dejan Stankovic throws his men forward. Arnautovic comes on, the press goes higher, red waves batter Özer’s box.
Lille bends. A lot. But they don’t break.
They lose control, they suffer, they defend for their lives. 90 minutes in, nothing’s settled. Extra time it is.
And then the script flips.
Ngoy, the unlikely hero
Thrown on in the 95th in a strange role, Nathan Ngoy wasn’t meant to be the story. Four minutes later he appears and buries the goal that sends them through. 0-2, 99′.
NATHAN NGOY MAY SEND LILLE INTO THE EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 🔥
The northerners take the lead in this extra time against Red Star 🥵#FKCZLOSC ｜ #UEL pic.twitter.com/hUZ7Kat68T
— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) February 26, 2026
Ngoy became the symbol of a night when Lille found their backbone.
At full-time the 22-year-old defender was raw. He talked spirit, family, the group. Not a canned speech. Just lived truth.
Red Star piled on late, hunting the goal that would have forced penalties. But LOSC held. Together. Compact. Resilient.
A turning point for the season?
This qualification is more than a single result. It arrives at a fragile moment, amid a rough patch and a stacked injury list.
Bruno Genesio asked for a statement game. He might’ve got one.
In the round of 16, Lille will face Aston Villa or Olympique Lyonnais. Whoever turns up, it won’t matter. The Dogs showed they can turn up when tested.
In Belgrade, Lille didn’t just win a match.
They found their soul.
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