Olivier Giroud scored from close range in the 86th minute as Lille beat Lens 1-0 in the 125th Derby du Nord, a match played without visiting supporters.
Lille dominated possession and chances but needed a late intervention from the 40-year-old striker, introduced by Davide Ancelotti in the 73rd minute. Nabil Bentaleb’s long-range effort was parried by Risser, and Giroud reacted quickest to turn in the rebound.
The goal had no credited assist, with the move coming from Bentaleb’s shot rather than a pass. Giroud played 17 minutes, below the 20-minute threshold for an SNA rating, while Bentaleb was named Lille’s outstanding player with a score of 8.0/10.
Lille had 62% possession, 16 shots to Lens’ five, seven efforts on target to three and 10 corners to two. Their expected-goals total was 1.71, compared with 0.26 for Lens.
Risser kept the visitors in the contest with six saves, while Berke Ozer made three for Lille. Lens also benefited from the bar, which Soriba Diaoune struck in the 34th minute after beating Thorgan Hazard with a turn following a corner that had not been cleared properly.
Lille had threatened earlier when Ethan Mbappe narrowly missed the left post. Soon afterwards, Risser tipped away Diaoune’s header from a chipped Bentaleb delivery. Lens’ best chance before the interval came when Saud Abdulhamid exchanged passes with Florian Thauvin, whose effort was diverted by Ozer’s knee.
Thauvin came close to changing the outcome in the 58th minute after a loose ball in midfield left him one-on-one with Ozer, but his final touch was too heavy and the goalkeeper reached the ball first. Mbappe had already been denied twice by Risser after the break, while Hakon Haraldsson was also stopped in the 66th minute.
Lens manager Yannick Cahuzac made his first changes in the 62nd minute, sending on Kyllian Antonio and Junior Kadile for Jean-Clair Todibo and Florian Sotoca. Yassine Titraoui and Franjo Ivanovic followed in the 69th minute, with Andrija Bulatovic introduced in the 80th. Antonio made an important defensive contribution, but Lens remained heavily reliant on counter-attacks and their goalkeeper.
Ancelotti responded with Giroud and Dilane Bakwa for Mbappe and Ngal’ayel Mukau in the 73rd minute, before Calvin Verdonk replaced another player in the 78th. That decision ultimately proved decisive.
Bentaleb completed the match with three key passes and the shot that produced the winner. Diaoune registered four attempts and hit the bar, while Mukau, an international for RD Congo, played 73 minutes. Amadou Haidara featured for Lens for 80 minutes.
Lille move second with 18 points, two behind PSG. Lens are ninth on 13 points, and their run of three successive league victories is over. Lille visit Rennes on 8 November, while Lens host Marseille on the same day.
