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Anderlecht were close to getting
three important CLe points today, but a late goal from
Lille meant that the Belgians hadn't used their home
tie sufficiently..
Read also:
Ahmed Hassan played a key role in the
game, providing good passes, shots and running much
of the match for Anderlecht.
The Egyptian was given what looked to be a free-role
on the pitch, and supported Boussoufa and Tchite very
well. It was the Moroccan Boussoufa that had a good
first half, making excellent crosses.
Hassan did play his part in the game, but there was
never enough movement from Tchite at the front. However,
this didn't stop the Pharaoh from being one of the men
of the match.
Hassan started the game very lively and spoke and ordered
his team-mates around very confidently. He showed a
very frustrated reaction, smacking the ground, when
the ball was swung in by Boussoufa, only to be headed
by van Damme with Hassan lurking behind in a free position
at the far post.
Hassan also had a few efforts on goal, one which went
well over, and another volley with dipped nicely but
still ended up too high.
Tchite had a chance to put Anderlecht
in the lead, as the ball fell for him inside the box.
His shot was hit cleanly but keeper Tony Sylva managed
to get to it.
Lille tried to get back at Anderlecht and their long
shots were causing the hosts trouble. When a shot did
eventually beat goalkeeper Zitka, it was a deflected
effort by Yohan Cabaye which spun onto the post.
Sylva was called into action again as Ahmed Hassan passed
the ball over his head to Bousouffa, who had a massive
chance from close range but only hit the ball right
at the keeper.
The Egypt captain had more attempts on goal, one from
the right-hand side which went near the keeper, who
managed to hold it. There was an eventual breakthrough
before half time however, when Ahmed Hassan fought for
the ball on the right and won a corner. The corner was
put in by Boussoufa and Nicolas Pereja headed the ball
solidly into the goal.
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The second half provided more of the same and the Belgian
champions could have sealed a win on more than one occasion.
The biggest came when Hassan had the ball on the right wing
and chose to take the defender on. He skipped around him and
cut in to shoot at Sylva. The keeper managed to parry the
ball out, only as far as Bossoufa, whose first-time shot was
wide of the empty target.
Lille struck the post twice more as they attempted to equalise.
One volley struck the side of the post while another from
Keita hit the top of the post from long-range. The French
were looking dangerous, especially with Souleymane Youla on
the pitch. The Guinea striker formed an excellent relationship
with Hassan at Besiktas and more so at Genclerbirligi. His
pace tested Anderlecht as Lille went forward on counter attacks.
Anderlecht began wasting time with around a quarter of an
hour remaining, and while Ahmed Hassan - who was dropped back
to a less attacking midfield position - showed some good skills
and neat footwork, a good run followed by an ambitious through-ball
that almost worked led to Lille stealing possession. From
there, the ball was played to the left flank where Keita put
a low cross in. Fauvergue managed to scuff an untidy but effective
finish off the post and into the goal to make the score 1-1.
Hassan frustrated with the result
Lille were given a boost, and the end-to-end
action led to some chances. Keita tried a cross from distance
which ended up on target and needed a good tip over the bar
from Zitka. Anderlecht also felt that they had to do something
again, and while there was a period of pressure, they did
not test Sylva. Hassan played a decent through ball for Tchite,
who failed to control it. To add to this, the Egyptian almost
caught Sylva out when he got the ball on the right and decided
to surprise him by smacking it at the near post. However,
it was too high and ended up a wasted opportunity.
Elsewhere in the group AC Milan beat AEK Athens 3-0, and it
looks as though there will be a hard-fought second place -
and third...
EgyptianPlayers.com will also bring extensive UEFA Cup coverage
this season...
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