Giroud scores as Lille give Davide Ancelotti winning start
PARIS: Olivier Giroud scored the opening goal as Lille gave Davide Ancelotti a winning start as coach with a 2-0 victory at Angers in their Ligue 1 opener on Sunday.
Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Lille in their Ligue 1 opener against Angers with a well-placed low drive, assisted by Nabil Bentaleb. Just after the 30-minute mark, Tiago Santos added a second goal for Lille with a volley after a smooth Lille counterattack. Davide Ancelotti, son of renowned former coach Carlo Ancelotti, made his debut as Lille's new coach following Bruno Genesio's move to Marseille.
Despite not being at full strength, Lille improved on their third-place league finish from the previous season, securing a comfortable 2-0 victory. Giroud, who will turn 40 next month, acknowledged that they could have extended their lead earlier but aimed to start strongly. Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a subject of interest for Manchester City, was not in the starting lineup but expressed his excitement for potential goodbyes from fans.
Elsewhere, Monaco secured a 1-0 win over Le Havre thanks to a late goal from ex-England defender Eric Dier. The final match of the weekend saw Paris Saint-Germain take on Rennes, with the Ligue 1 title race set to intensify.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
