Lille progressed into the last 16 of the Europa League after defeating Red Star Belgrade 2-0 in the second leg of their play-off tie and 2-1 on aggregate.

After Olivier Giroud levelled the tie early in the first half, Nathan Ngoy ensured Lille's progression into the next round just four minutes after coming off the bench in extra time.

Lille needed just four minutes to restore parity in the play-off following their 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Captain Benjamin Andre picked the ball up on the right wing and found Giroud with a pinpoint cross, and the Frenchman flicked his header past Mateus.

The Brazilian goalkeeper made sure the hosts did not go behind on aggregate before half-time, making a smart stop to deny Matias Fernandez-Pardo before also coming off his line to smother the winger after he was through on goal.

Gaeten Perrin squandered a chance early in the second half after a great pass from Hakon Haraldsson, though the former could not get the ball out of his feet and get his shot away, while Seol Young-Woo saw his header from a long throw land on the roof of the net at the other end.

Lille finally beat Mateus for a second time in the 99th minute after Felix Correia showed great awareness to spot the overlapping run from Ngoy, who slotted the ball in at the near post to clinch victory for the visitors.

INTO THE ROUND OF 16! #FKCZLOSC | @EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/QQLRTu1OL9

— LOSC (@LOSC_EN) February 26, 2026

Data Debrief: Giroud keeps a steady head

For the first time in a major European competition knockout-round tie, Lille have advanced to the next round after losing the first leg. They had failed to do so on the previous five occasions when losing the first leg of a tie.

And the Ligue 1 outfit were deserving of the victory in Serbia. Although they produced just 0.99 expected goals (xG) to Red Star's 0.91, eight of Lille's 16 shots were on target compared to just three of the hosts' 15 attempts.

Giroud's experience also paid dividends for Lille at Stadion Rajko Mitic. Along with his nerve-settling early goal, he won the most duels in the match (15/27), including 12 of his 19 aerial battles, while also registering the second most touches in the box for his side (five).