Giroud snatches Northern Derby for Lille, Thauvin booed and rated 3 out of 10

Olivier Giroud decided the Northern Derby in the 87th minute, giving LOSC a 1-0 victory over RC Lens on Friday evening at Stade Pierre-Mauroy during Matchday 9 of Ligue 1. For Florian Thauvin, his return to Lille — thirteen years after his spell without playing a single official match — turned into a nightmare evening.

Captain of the Sang et Or, Thauvin never managed to influence the match. Effectively muzzled by the Lille defence, he was barely noticed in the first half, with only one pass to Abdulhamid in the 39th minute. His main chance came around the hour mark: sent through on a counter-attack, he pushed the ball too far and missed his one-on-one with goalkeeper Berke Özer (58th). A technical error that could have changed the course of the match. He barely appeared after that.

L’Équipe gave him a rating of 3 out of 10, the lowest of the evening, highlighting “poor ball control” and zero influence on Lens’s attacking play. A harsh but consistent verdict with a performance that reflected RC Lens’s collective difficulties.

Beyond the pitch, Thauvin had to face the hostility of part of the Lille crowd, who never forgave him for his departure to Marseille in the summer of 2013, without ever wearing the LOSC shirt in an official match. Lille ultras chanted insults at him for long stretches in the Pierre-Mauroy stands.

With this victory, LOSC prevails in the Northern Derby and confirms their solidity at home. For Lens, the defeat raises questions about their captain’s attacking output, expected to be the main driving force of Artois’s play.