Bologna 1-2 Lille: Mukau heroics keep away side in touch of top eight

By Sports Desk November 27, 2024

Ngal'ayel Mukau proved the hero for Lille as they battled to a hard-fought 2-1 away win over Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Mukau opened the scoring for Lille a minute before the break from a rebound after his initial shot was blocked, before Bologna struck through Jhon Lucumi in the 63rd minute.

That marked the Serie A side's first goal in the competition this campaign, though the home celebrations were cut short soon after.

Mukau scored his second just three minutes later before Bologna were unable to find another goal as their goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski pulled off several fine saves to keep them in the game.

Lille's win moved them on to 10 points in the standings, while Bologna remain on one point after slumping to their third successive defeat.

Data Debrief: Lovely Lille flying

Outside of the knockout stages, Lille have lost just one of their last nine matches in the Champions League (W6 D2), losing 2-0 against Sporting CP on MD1 this season.

Bologna, meanwhile, have lost their last four in this competition and are the first Italian side to suffer as many defeats in a row in a single campaign.

The Serie A club, at least, avoided becoming just the second side to fail to score in their first five games in Champions League history, with Galatasaray the only to do so during the 1993-94 season.

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    Glenmuir’s fluency and attacking prowess overwhelmed yet another opponent, as five different players found the back of the net to secure yet another berth in the final.

    Orel Miller (40th), Dusting Cohen (42nd), Ronaldo Campbell (64th), Orane Watson (69th), and substitute Nyron Allen (71st) got the job done for the May Pen-based school after Kaneil Brown gave Ocho Rios a surprise 21st-minute lead.

    Though still on course to retain their crown, Glenmuir’s Head coach Andrew Peart remains grounded.

    “The final is just another game... it is just another step on the journey, and that is just it. Last year was last year; this is a different year, so new possibilities. So we are just going to hydrate, head home, and watch the next game,” Peart shared.

    His counterpart Veron Peterkin felt his team was overwhelmed by the occasion.

    “We made some very expensive mistakes; the discipline wasn’t there throughout the game, and so it is just one of those things. It’s the first time we have made those errors; it is their first time playing in the National Stadium for these boys, so credit to Glenmuir for capitalizing on our errors, and we know what we have to fix moving forward,” he noted.

    Despite Glenmuir’s dominance in possession and two early warning shots from Watson in the sidnetting and Ja-Son Whyte’s shot from a distance that was kept out by Ocho Rios’ custodian Maleek Martin, it was Ocho Rios High who stunned the crowd with the opening goal in the 21st minute.

    Kaneil Brown tried his luck from the top of the 18-yard box, and the effort proved rewarding as Glenmuir’s goalkeeper Justin Murray lost his footing and could only watch as the ball rolled past his near post.

    The goal briefly gave Ocho Rios hope, but it would only serve as a wake-up call for Glenmuir, who shifted into high gear at the backend of the first half.

    They pulled level in the 40th minute through Miller, who calmly finished off a well-worked buildup orchestrated by Whyte, with Cohen serving up the final past for the player sporting the number 17 jersey to register his 18th goal of the season.

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    Brentford, meanwhile, were able to come away with a point at Goodison Park despite spending the entirety of the second half with a man less in their goalless draw with Everton.

    Christian Norgaard was sent off in the 41st minute following a challenge on Jordan Pickford while attempting to score in the six-yard box, with VAR recommending on-field referee Chris Kavanagh to review the incident on the pitch-side screen, resulting in his dismissal.

    The Bees have since won the appeal against a potential three-match ban for the Danish international, but head coach Thomas Frank was pleased that his side were able to battle against adversity to claim a first clean sheet of the campaign.

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    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Brentford – Yoane Wissa

    Wissa has been involved in nine goals in his last five Premier League home games for Brentford (seven goals, two assists), scoring in each of those five games.

    Team-mate Bryan Mbeumo, meanwhile, has either scored or assisted in his last six at the Gtech Community Stadium (seven goals, one assist).

    Leicester – Jamie Vardy

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    MATCH PREDICTION: BRENTFORD WIN

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    Brentford – 59.5%

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    Leicester – 19.3%

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