Lille did not do enough, says Girard

Lille coach Rene Girard felt his side did not do enough to hinder Krasnodar following their 1-1 draw in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

Girard’s men fell behind in the 35th minute at the Stade Pierre Mauroy as Colombian striker Ricardo Laborde put the Russian visitors in front.

A free-kick just after the hour from Danish defender Simon Kjaer meant the spoils were shared, but Girard was left disappointed by his team, who sit top of Ligue 1 after five matches.

“I do not know if we can say that it’s two points lost tonight [Thursday],” Girard said.

“We came up against a good team, well organised and that moved us physically.

“It was a laborious first half, the second was better. At half-time I changed the system because they needed more freshness and to better occupy the pitch.

“But tonight we did not have the ingredients to hinder them [Krasnodar].”

Girard was philosophical over his side’s failure to win, however, insisting that Lille will not be the only team to drop points at home in what he expects to be a fiercely contested Group H.

“It will be a hotly disputed group,” Girard added. “Others will lose points at home.

“It’s not going to be easy. We’ll have tough matches so all points are good to take.”