New disillusionment for Losc. Opposed to Red Star Belgrade in the first leg of the Europa League play-off, Bruno Genesio’s men completed a ninth match without a win in their ten outings in 2026, continuing their catastrophic momentum started at the start of the calendar year.
Without Olivier Giroud at the kick-off, the Northerners had all the trouble in the world to shake up a very well established Serbian bloc. Returning to the locker room without a single shot on target, Lille also conceded the opener in added time. Hindered by the sharp counter-attacks of the 15th in the regular phase – the Mastiffs had finished 18th -, the latter cracked on the final corner of the first act, Franklin Tebo Uchenna taking advantage of Lille’s defensive generosity to push the ball into the back of the net (0-1, 45th + 1).
Six games without scoring in 2026
In a Pierre-Mauroy stadium far from being full, one of the two French representatives still competing in C3 reacted timidly and too late. If Aïssa Mandi came very close to the equalizer shortly before the hour mark, again from a set piece (58th), Losc came close to being penalized on the Serbian transitions, still as dangerous in the second half. Berke Özer also kept his team alive in front of Marko Arnautović, close to doubling the lead (67th).
Under the whistles of their supporters, still very unhappy this Thursday evening, Lille completed a sixth match without scoring in 2026 and will therefore have to secure their qualification in the boiling and hostile atmosphere of the Rajko-Mitić stadium on Thursday February 26 (6:45 p.m.). An enclosure in which the Red Star has never lost this season in the Europa League and in which the Mastiffs lost during the regular phase (1-0, November 6). Suffice to say that the task promises to be difficult.
