A costly lapse in concentration from Kostas Tsimikas gifted Lille the opener, as his misplaced touch allowed Felix Correia to pounce and slide the ball into the path of Hákon Arnar Haraldsson via a deflection inside the box. The Icelandic forward made no mistake, drilling a ruthless finish past Mile Svilar from close range.
Bruno Génésio’s men nearly doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when Osame Sahraoui exchanged passes cleverly with Haraldsson, only to drag a tame effort wide of the far post — a moment he will feel should have ended in a goal.
That miss seemed to jolt Roma into life, with the hosts finally showing urgency. Just five minutes later, they came agonisingly close to an equaliser amid a chaotic goalmouth scramble. After several blocked attempts in a frantic sequence reminiscent of pinball, Morocco international Neil El Aynaoui saw his effort cleared off the line at the last moment by a heroic intervention from centre-back Aïssa Mandi.
