Super Eagles prospect Chuba Akpom marked his Ligue 1 debut with a goal for Lille, but it was not enough to prevent a 2-1 home defeat to Le Havre.
The 29-year-old, who remains eligible to play for Nigeria despite representing England at youth level, found the net with virtually the last kick of the game.
However, his late strike proved only a consolation as Lille suffered an unexpected defeat.
Lille, strong favourites against relegation-threatened Le Havre, were stunned in the 38th minute when Ahmed Hassan gave the visitors the lead.
A shell-shocked Lille then went in search of the equaliser but failed to find any in the first half.
Things worsened for the hosts in the 55th minute, as Issa Soumaré doubled Le Havre’s advantage.
Akpom, introduced at half-time in place of Rémy Cabella, pulled one back late in stoppage time, but Lille ran out of time to complete a comeback.
With this result, Lille remain fifth in the Ligue 1 standings, now 18 points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Akpom’s performance against Le Havre
The Nigerian forward played 45 minutes, registering two shots on target from just 10 touches of the ball.
Akpom completed both of his attempted passes, achieving a 100% pass success rate.
He also delivered one cross, made a defensive clearance, and won the only aerial duel he contested.
On the ground, he succeeded in one of his two duels.
Despite the defeat, Akpom’s debut goal was a bright spot for Lille, and he will be hoping to contribute more as the season progresses.
