Olivier Giroud marked Davide Ancelotti’s first match as Lille coach with a goal as Lille opened their Ligue 1 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Angers.
The 39-year-old striker broke the deadlock in the 11th minute with a superb low strike from distance after collecting Nabil Bentaleb’s pass.
Tiago Santos then doubled Lille’s advantage just after the half-hour mark, finishing off an excellent team move to secure a winning start for Ancelotti, who took charge in June following Bruno Genesio’s departure.
Lille finished third in Ligue 1 last season and will compete in the Champions League this campaign.
“It wasn’t perfect, but we wanted to start strongly today,” Giroud said after the match, while admitting Lille could have finished the game earlier.
The match also fuelled speculation surrounding highly rated midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City. The 18-year-old was not included in Lille’s squad but appeared to say goodbye to the travelling supporters after the match.
Elsewhere, Eric Dier scored the winner as Monaco edged newly promoted Le Havre 1-0.
Paris Saint-Germain will begin their bid for a sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title when they travel to Rennes in the final match of the opening weekend.
