Latest news with #Delort
Arab News
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Bentaleb's remarkable return could inspire Lille's run for a Champions League spot
PARIS: If Lille need further motivation in their drive to qualify for the Champions League next season, then they need only look at Nabil Bentaleb's remarkable return. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Back on the field 8 months after a cardiac arrest Scored 4 minutes after coming on Man of the match You are a soldier @nabilbentaleb42 — LOSC (@LOSC_EN) February 16, 2025 Bafodé Diakité said the atmosphere in the dressing room after last Sunday's win was something special. 'I had never experienced anything like that,' he said. 'It goes beyond football.' Now Bentaleb and his teammates must focus on catching Monaco and Nice in the Ligue 1 race for a top-four Champions League spot. Fifth-placed Lille are only two points behind Monaco and Nice in third, so things could change on Saturday when Lille host Monaco. Third place is a realistic ambition for all three sides, given that unbeaten leader Paris Saint-Germain seem too far ahead and free-scoring Marseille are six points clear in second place. Former teammates face each other When Nice take on rock-bottom Montpellier on Sunday, former strike partners Gaëtan Laborde and Andy Delort are set to face each other amid contrasting circumstances. Laborde has nine league goals for Nice this season, while Montpellier signed Delort on loan from Algerian side MC Alger to help in their desperate relegation battle. Laborde and Delort enjoyed three full seasons together at Montpellier from 2018-21 and formed a strong partnership, with Laborde netting 33 league goals and Delort getting 38. They began the next season together before both left. Their paths quickly met again when they played half of the 2022-23 season together at Nice — before Delort joined Nantes and angered Nice fans. Timing could be right to beat PSG PSG have not lost anywhere since Nov. 26 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League. But Lyon will threaten that. Lyon will be fully rested after not playing in the Europa League this week. It is also resurgent after eight goals in the past two games under new coach Paulo Fonseca. PSG played on Wednesday when they trounced Brest 7-0 in the Champions League. Rayan Cherki has found top form for Lyon in recent weeks and Fonseca has unearthed a surprising finisher. Veteran midfielder Corentin Tolisso has scored in all three games since Fonseca took over and is enjoying his best scoring season since the 2017-18 campaign with Bayern.
Associated Press
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Bentaleb's remarkable return could inspire Lille's run for a Champions League spot
PARIS (AP) — If Lille needs further motivation in its drive to qualify for the Champions League next season, then it need only look at Nabil Bentaleb's remarkable return. The Lille midfielder scored four minutes after going on last Sunday in a 2-0 win at Rennes and was mobbed by his teammates. It wasn't that he scored so soon after going on that made the goal so special, but rather because Bentaleb started training again only this month after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest in mid-June. The 30-year-old was put into an artificial coma and fitted with a pacemaker-defibrillator days later. Doctors doubted the Algeria international would ever play again let alone resume his career at the top level. 'It's a story worthy of a movie. It brings Nabil even more joy and emotion because he is a boy who is very well liked in the group,' coach Bruno Genesio said. 'It's pretty rare to experience this. It's a moment that will remain engraved in the history of the club.' Bafodé Diakité said the atmosphere in the dressing room after last Sunday's win was something special. 'I had never experienced anything like that,' he said. 'It goes beyond football.' Now Bentaleb and his teammates must focus on catching Monaco and Nice in the Ligue 1 race for a top-four Champions League spot. Fifth-placed Lille is only two points behind Monaco and Nice in third, so things could change on Saturday when Lille hosts Monaco. Third place is a realistic ambition for all three sides, given that unbeaten leader Paris Saint-Germain seems too far ahead and free-scoring Marseille is six points clear in second place. Former teammates face each other When Nice takes on rock-bottom Montpellier on Sunday, former strike partners Gaëtan Laborde and Andy Delort are set to face each other amid contrasting circumstances. Laborde has nine league goals for Nice this season, while Montpellier signed Delort on loan from Algerian side MC Alger to help in its desperate relegation battle. Laborde and Delort enjoyed three full seasons together at Montpellier from 2018-21 and formed a strong partnership, with Laborde netting 33 league goals and Delort getting 38. They began the next season together before both left. Their paths quickly met again when they played half of the 2022-23 season together at Nice — before Delort joined Nantes and angered Nice fans. Timing could be right to beat PSG PSG has not lost anywhere since Nov. 26 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League. But Lyon will threaten that. Lyon will be fully rested after not playing in the Europa League this week. It is also resurgent after eight goals in the past two games under new coach Paulo Fonseca. PSG played on Wednesday when it trounced Brest 7-0 in the Champions League. Rayan Cherki has found top form for Lyon in recent weeks and Fonseca has unearthed a surprising finisher. Veteran midfielder Corentin Tolisso has scored in all three games since Fonseca took over and is enjoying his best scoring season since the 2017-18 campaign with Bayern.
Associated Press
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Former Montpellier striker Andy Delort returns to help Ligue 1 club in its relegation fight
MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Striker Andy Delort is returning to Montpellier to help the French league club in its fight against relegation. Delort, who comes from the nearby port city of Sete, played for Montpellier from 2018 to 2021. The club said on Wednesday he is returning on a loan deal from Moloudia d'Alger with a buyout option. He arrives as a replacement for Akor Adams, who left for Sevilla in the Spanish league. Delort played 106 matches across all competitions over his three seasons with Montpellier, scoring 47 goals and delivering 21 assists. Montpellier, which has the worst defensive record in the league this season, has also been struggling upfront and will be hoping that Delort can match his past production. Despite signs of improvement in recent weeks, Montpellier sits in the relegation zone, having conceded 44 goals in 19 matches in a season marking the club's 50th anniversary. 'It's a difficult mission, but with this club we can do it,' said Delort, who represents Algeria at the international level. 'I'm not the savior but I will give everything so we can give an extraordinary end to the season.' Montpellier won its only French league title in 2012, when it upset Paris Saint-Germain. The club also won the second division in 1987 and the French Cup in 1990 with a team featuring the likes of Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc and Julio Cesar. significant drop in television rights revenues, preventing the club from securing the reinforcements it planned. ___
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Andy Delort returns to Montpellier
Algeria international striker Andy Delort (33) has completed his return to Montpellier HSC, the Ligue 1 club has announced. Delort has joined La Paillade on loan from Mouloudia d'Alger. The 33-year-old's loan move to Montpellier includes an option to make his return permanent. In three seasons, from 2018 to 2021, Delort spearheaded Montpellier's attack in logging 47 goals and 21 assists. Delort will wear the No.7 jersey for Jean-Louis Gasset's 17th-placed Montpellier team. 🆕✍️👤 #MercatoMHSC𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒚 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒕 retrouve le MHSC 🧡🗣️ « 𝑼𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒒𝒖𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒓… »📝 — MHSC (@MontpellierHSC) January 29, 2025 Montpellier were in the market for attacking reinforcements following the departures of Akor Adams to Sevilla and of Arnaud Nordin to Mainz. The struggling Hérault team were heading straight towards a Ligue 2 relegation. However, their hopes of staying up have reignited after a streak of two shock away wins to Monaco and Toulouse. Montpellier will host Will Still's RC Lens on Friday. GFFN | Bastien Cheval
