VILLENEUVE D'ASCQ, France-- Lille gatecrashed the top eight of the Champions League standings and booked an unexpected place in the last 16 when they hammered hapless Feyenoord 6-1 at home on Wednesday on the last night of the group competition.
An early goal from Osame Sahraoui was followed by three own goals plus strikes from Jonathan David and Remy Cabella as the unfancied French club advanced to 16 points from their eight matches in the new-look, 36-team group competition.
Lille, fourth in Ligue 1 last season, had to come through two preliminary knockout rounds to reach the group phase, where they finished seventh after a surprisingly efficient campaign that saw them beat Atletico Madrid, Bologna and holders Real Madrid.
Both sides started the match knowing they had already secured a playoff-round place but Lille showed more purpose and had a chance inside the opening 60 seconds but Sahraoui scuffed his left-footed effort wide.
He more than made up for the miss when he opened the scoring in the fourth minute, slotting home the ball from a tight angle as he took on the visiting defence.
A corner in the 14th minute produced an equaliser with Gernot Trauner heading unmarked from the back post into the six-yard box and Gimenez getting a slight touch to claim the goal.
Gimenez hobbled off soon after and then Feyenoord had to take off injured goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, with his replacement Timon Wellenreuther picking the ball out of his net with his first touch after being beaten by an own goal in the 38th minute.
Mitchel Bakker’s cross was touched on by Sahraoui to the foot of Trauner, who deflected it into the goal.
Feyenoord captain David Hancko was next to steer the ball into his own net off Angel Gomes’s 57th-minute square pass although UEFA strangely credited the goal to Gomes.
Once 3-1 up and looking increasingly confident, Lille set up a storming finish led by David, who had started on the bench despite being Lille’s top scorer in the Champions League but came on to score his eighth goal of the campaign.
His 74th-minute effort was quickly followed by Trauner turning in another own goal in the 76th minute and then veteran striker Cabella making it 6-1 in the 80th minute.
Defeat for Feyenoord meant they finished 19th in the standings, enough for a spot in the playoff round.
