French Ligue 1, Matchday 2: Montpellier Upset Lille On Sunday

Lille 0 Montpellier 1

Lille had 61% possession, 20 shots, 6 on goal, and 7 corners. Montpellier had 9, 3 and 0 respectively. Montpellier though, had the number that mattered at the end of the match, with striker Oliver Giroud scoring the game’s solitary goal. As the numbers indicate, Lille dominated the match, with Montpellier’s backup keeper Laurent Pionnier keeping out Moussa Sow early. Lille also had two penalty claims turned down; Montpellier were very lucky to get away with one, when Eden Hazard was taken down in the area. Lillie continued to attack Pionnier’s goal, but despite the best efforts of Sow, Hazard and Ludovic Obraniak, they couldn’t find a way past the Montpellier ‘keeper. Jamel Saihi’s excellent long pass broke the Lille offside trap, making it easy for Giroud to to slot past Mikael Landreau and give Montpellier the lead in the 70th minute. Lille continued to push forward, and former Portsmouth “striker” John Utaka could’ve settled the match for Montpellier when he broke clean through, but his effort hit the post. No matter for Montpellier though; La Paillade held on for the shock 1-0 victory.