Lille secured a historic 6-1 victory over Feyenoord in their final Champions League group stage match, securing a place in the last 16 of the competition. The French side defied expectations, finishing seventh in the standings and becoming the standout French club in the tournament.
Lille, France (AP) — When Lille lost its opening Champions League match in September, few would have predicted the Ligue 1 side's journey to the last 16 of European club soccer's elite tournament. But the northern France team defied all odds, concluding the group stage campaign with a resounding 6-1 victory over Feyenoord on Wednesday. \'We've done the job,' Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier said. 'We've got some absentees, but we've got that extra bit of spirit.
We were in a group of death, and now we're seventh. We've worked hard, we've been rewarded, and we can dream even more.' \The triumph marked the first time Lille scored more than three goals in the Champions League. A record set by Feyenoord center-back Gernot Trauner, however, is one his team will surely want to forget. According to Opta statistics, Trauner became the first player to score two own goals in a single Champions League game. The victory saw Lille finish seventh in the standings, becoming the standout French club in the competition. Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, and Brest will need to navigate the playoffs to advance. Lille pulled away with four second-half goals after Osame Sahraoui opened the scoring in the fourth minute. 'We couldn’t have wished for anything better,' Lille coach Bruno Genesio said. 'The main objective was to win. We finished this group phase in the best possible way, finishing seventh, and that’s a great source of pride for my players, my staff, and all the hard work we’ve put in.' Despite the heavy loss, Feyenoord secured their spot in the playoffs stage. 'It’s a tough one, a tough result,' Feyenoord coach Brian Priske said. 'We’re happy we’ve qualified. But today, we really wanted to try and get into the top eight. When you don’t do the basics, and you don’t put the effort in, you won’t get the rewards. I know we have the quality to pick up the points, but today we weren’t good enough.'Earlier, French police reported that 86 fans of the Dutch team had been denied entry to France, and 30 had been arrested at the border. France's interior ministry stated that a travel ban was implemented due to a 'real and serious risk of confrontation' between fans of the two teams
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LILLE FEYENOORD OWN GOALS FRENCH FOOTBALL UEFA
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