Lille looking towards Europe after emphatic win over relegation-bound Ajaccio
On the back of substandard stalemates, both Lille and Ajaccio were compelled to make something out of this clash in particular, chasing contrasting objectives at opposite ends of the Ligue 1 table.
Paulo Fonseca’s men forced the visitors to play second fiddle for the majority of the first half and saw their efforts pay dividends after the midway point, thanks to an impressive brace by Andre Gomes.
The Portuguese midfield ace first broke the deadlock with an utterly brilliant strike, smashing the ball into the top corner from a good 25 yards, shortly before Remy Cabella set him up with a back-pass for a clinical finish from inside the box.
Flying high with the momentum in their favour, a third arrived before the break for Lille in the form of a team goal, as Edon Zhegrova and Jonathan Bamba combined splendidly to feed Cabella for an easy tap-in inside the six-yard box - with the Ajaccio-born forward now scoring in each of his six appearances against his hometown club.
Things weren’t going to get any easier after the break for Olivier Pantaloni’s outfit, who arrived into the clash having just ended their six-game losing streak.
They were, however, spared going 4-0 down on the hour mark, as Cabella’s goal was flagged for offside by VAR before the game dulled down towards the final minutes. The visitors did have a chance to secure a consolation though, which eventually ricocheted off the woodwork by Kevin Spadanuda from point-blank range.
A sixth straight-away defeat for Ajaccio means they must now forage for as many points as possible from their final five matches in what looks likely to be a fruitless attempt to avoid surefire relegation.
The league’s lowest scorers (22 goals) have now failed to score in 18 league games this season – the highest across Europe’s top-five leagues.
Contrastingly, Lille are closing in on fourth-placed AS Monaco and have extended their lead to six points over Rennes, who have a game in hand.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Remy Cabella (Lille)