Makengo's late goal doubled Lorient's lead after VAR ruled out Le Havre's

Lorient beat Le Havre 2-0 with a goal in the 90th minute, while the home side's only effort on target was cancelled by VAR.

Jean-Victor Makengo's goal in the 90th minute turned a one-goal Lorient lead into a two-goal one, and it is the moment anyone who watched will remember first. Lorient had been ahead since the 18th minute, when Isaak Touré finished a move that Arsène Kouassi started, so Le Havre had to chase the game for most of the afternoon. Their own goal, scored by Josh Maja in the 59th minute, was cancelled after a VAR check, the video review that looks again at decisions, and the home side were left with nothing to show for their pressure.

Le Havre had more of the ball than usual, 54% against a home average of 46.2%, and they took 18 shots, well above the 15.1 they normally manage at the Stade Océane. Most of those attempts came from close in, with 11 inside the box, but the quality was poorer than normal. Expected goals, a rough guide to how likely a chance is to go in based on where and how it was taken, came to 0.74, against their usual 1.4. Y. Mvogo, the Lorient goalkeeper, was the busiest man on the pitch as a result.

Lorient had 46% of the ball, almost exactly their usual 46.7% on the road, so the possession story here belongs to Le Havre. They managed only six shots, well short of the 9.9 they average away from home, and their expected goals of 0.83 sat below their normal 1.06. They created less than usual and still came away with two goals, which says more about how well those chances were taken than about how often Lorient got forward.

Makengo's finish was the second of the match, and it was the one that settled it. Mamadou Kone supplied the pass, and Makengo's rating of 8.1 was the highest of any player on the pitch, which is a fair reflection of a goal that came in the last minute of a tight game. Kouassi's assist for Touré's first goal was the other piece of Lorient's attacking work that will stay in the notes.

For Le Havre, Maja was the most active attacker, with four shots and two on target before his goal was taken away. Their defence did not concede more than usual: the two goals they let in matched the 2.2 they normally concede at home, and the chances Lorient created were worth less than the 1.96 expected goals Le Havre usually allow. The problem for the home side was not how many chances they gave away, but how few of their own they turned into goals.

Le Havre have now lost five of their last six matches, drawn the other, and sit 18th in the table with 2 points from nine games. Lorient, in contrast, have won three of their nine games away from home, drawn three and lost three, and sit 12th in the table with 12 points.

Player of the matchJ. Makengo1 goal8.1

Y. Mvogo5 saves7.8

S. Touré1 goal7.7

K. Kouassi1 assist7.5