Hoping to extend their unbeaten away record at the Stade Raymond Kopa to four matches and subsequently enhance their UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification credentials, high-flying Lille got off to the better start in the opening exchanges of the contest.
Rooted to the foot of the Ligue 1 standings, 15 points adrift of safety, Angers were left breathing a sigh of relief shortly before the half-hour mark as the league’s joint-top goalscorer Jonathan David unconventionally failed to hit the target after seizing upon a mistimed pass deep within the Angers half.
Lille continued to dictate the attacking trajectory of the game approaching the break, with David denied the atonement for that earlier miss by a point-blank save from Angers goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni.
Seeking to remove the tag of being the only team without a home win in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 campaign after scoring the opening goal of the game, Angers spurned a glorious opportunity to change that as Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier produced a sublime save to prevent Nabil Bentaleb’s effort from nestling into the corner.
However, second-half substitute Halid Sabanovic then gave his side the opportunity to finally end the statistic, as the Bosnian right-back struck from close-range in the 84th minute after Chevalier had failed to deal with an incoming shot.
After holding on to confirm victory, it represents only Angers' third league win this season. Meanwhile, Lille's aspirations of a first appearance in the UCL since 2021/22 suffered a blow after succumbing to their first away league defeat against a side in the bottom half of the Ligue 1 standings this season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Paul Bernardoni (Angers)
