PLAYER RATINGS | Lille 2-3 Real Betis: Les Dogues lose Champions League opener as Ethan Mbappé sees red

UEFA Champions League, Matchday 1, 08/09/2026

Lille lost at home against Real Betis , despite leading twice against the Liga side. The Verdiblancos scored two goals in three minutes at the start to the second half. Seconds after going behind, Lille went down to 10 men with Ethan Mbappé given his marching orders.

After missing out on last season's Champions League, Lille OSC hosted a Betis side that hasn't competed in Europe's elite for more than twenty years. It was also the meeting of two managerial generations with 37-year-old Davide Ancelotti facing off with Manuel Pellegrini, who will turn 73 next week.

On the pitch, Lille started well, fresh off their convincing start to the Ligue 1 season. A couple of minutes before his older brother's opener for Real Madrid , right-sided Lille winger Ethan Mbappé took centre stage in cutting inside to whip a delicate left-footed cross at the back post, where Ayase Ueda was never going to miss this close to goal.

Lille's attacking trio clicked with Ueda as a traditional target man, Hakon Haraldsson 's work rate and Mbappé's raw skill. Their duo at the back – Nathan Ngoy and Alexsandro – expertly kept Antony and Troy Parrott at bay, delaying Betis' first shot on target until the 33rd minute. Unfortunately, it proved a goal. Tiago Santos left too much time and space for Pablo Fornals to curl a precise cross for Marc Bartra to head home the equalizer.

Outfoxed by the former Barcelona centre-back, Alexsandro only needed three minutes to make amends. The Brazilian outmuscled Isco to power home Gaëtan Perrin's corner kick into Alvaro Vallés' top-left corner. Although they were deservedly ahead, Lille owed their lead to their efficiency, scoring from their two shots on target, and to Troy Parrott's clumsiness. The Ireland international missed a high xG chance to restore parity before the break.

Unfortunately, Lille's serious work in the first half brutally came undone in ten nightmare minutes. First, Bartra equalised, heading home Isco's free-kick. Then, Real Betis pounced on Haraldsson losing possession to send Parrott clear on goal. This time, the Irishman sprayed the ball into Özer's bottom corner. As if it could not have been worse for Lille, VAR caught Mbappé elbowing Natan in the face, leaving the referee no choice but to send him off.

Despite the advantage in numbers, Real Betis barely applied additional pressure, feeling content to let the hosts see more of the ball. Still, the fallout of Lille's collapse early in the second half proved too fatal, despite the introduction of Olivier Giroud from the bench. Les Dogues could have started this Champions League campaign with three points and a trip to the Emirates Stadium to look for. Instead, all they could pick up was deep regrets at how tonight panned out, and they won't rely on Mbappé against Arsenal .

The Turkish goalkeeper had a brilliant game last week against Toulouse , thus retaining Ancelotti's trust. Tonight, he shipped three goals from three shots on target. Sure enough, he's not entirely to blame for Lille's loss, but he lacked authority for Bartra's second header. All in all, indecisive.

The Brazilian centre-back restored Lille's lead, but he should not escape the blame for being outmuscled, not once but twice, by a shorter player in Bartra.

The Algerian international made Lille tick with a tireless midfield shift. He was the Lille player with the most touches in the first half. From the moment he felt unwell with severe headaches, Les Dogues struggled. He was already out of the pitch, replaced by Ngal'ayel Mukau, when the hosts conceded two goals early in the second half.

The 19-year-old younger brother of Kylian Mbappé showcased his extended skillset on the big stage. Drops of the shoulder, dribbles, runs in behind, mazy left-foot… the former PSG player brilliantly assisted Ueda for the opener and made Junior Firpo suffer. But he wasted it all in elbowing Natan in the face, leaving his team short of one man. A petulant exit, and a real shame. He'll miss, at least, Lille's next UCL game at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

The Japan international only required 16 minutes to score Lille's sole goal last week against Toulouse off the bench. Tonight, it took him 11 minutes to get on the scoresheet with a simple tap-in at the back post. Should the Japanese continue to average one goal per game, we may not see much of Olivier Giroud this season.