TROYES, FRANCE (AP) – Mid-table Lille had its European hopes dashed when it had two players sent off and conceded three penalties in a 3-0 defeat at Troyes in the French league yesterday.
Troyes captain Florian Tardieu converted a controversial penalty in the 43rd minute after Lille winger Edon Zhegrova was deemed to have tripped Tristan Dingome.
Lille was reduced to 10 men in the 50th when Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches received two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent. Sanches seemed to question the referee’s eyesight by putting his hands around his eyes to mimic binoculars.
Troyes striker Ike Ugbo doubled the lead in the 55th by firing a spot kick into the roof of the net after Lille centreback Sven Botman brought him down.
Lille lost another player in the 68th when Turkey forward Burak Yilmaz tackled Tardieu from behind.
Tardieu sealed the win with a third penalty in the 86th after Lille midfielder Benjamin Andre made a poor challenge on substitute Yasser Larouci.
Troyes inched closer to securing safety by moving five points clear of the relegation zone just a year after gaining promotion.
Lille is six points off a Europa Conference League playoff spot with just three rounds left.
Strikers Yilmaz and Jonathan David led Lille to the league title last year but have been misfiring this season. Yilmaz and David have scored only one goal each in all competitions this year.
The 35th round ended yesterday with Marseille vs Lyon, Monaco vs Angers, Bordeaux vs Nice, Montpellier vs Metz, Brest vs Clermont, and Lorient vs Reims.
On Saturday, Rennes beat Saint-Etienne 2-0 to pull within three points of second-place Marseille while 10-man Lens rallied to draw with Nantes 2-2.
