Nigerian defender Franklin Uchenna netted the winning goal as Red Star Belgrade secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Lille in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout phase play-off encounter on Thursday.
The 26-year-old found the net on the stroke of half-time, handing the Serbian side a valuable advantage ahead of the return leg scheduled to take place in Belgrade next week.
Lille endured a disappointing outing in front of their home supporters, managing just one shot on target in the entire game against an energetic Red Star side who could have also added more goals, but were wasteful in the final third.
Following Uchenna’s goal, the visitors had several opportunities to take full control of the tie, but they were unable to take advantage of poor defending by the hosts, settling for the one-goal lead ahead of the decisive return leg.
More Read
In addition to his winning goal, Uchenna delivered an impressive defensive display to help Red Star secure a clean sheet. The centre-back won the most duels in the match (10), made eight clearances, three interceptions and five recoveries, leading his side to a fourth straight win across all competitions.
Red Star Belgrade will aim to finish the job when they entertain Lille in the second leg next Tuesday. A draw would be enough for the Serbian side to guarantee their spot in the round of 16.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
