French media Foot National criticized the referee's decision to issue only a yellow card for Lille defender Calvin Verdonk's hard tackle on Marseille's Mason Greenwood in the 12th minute of their Ligue 1 match. The incident sparked controversy as Greenwood was injured and substituted. Lille won 2-1 away.
In matchweek 27 of Ligue 1 2025/2026, Lille OSC defeated Olympique Marseille 2-1 at Stade Velodrome on Sunday evening, March 22, 2026 WIB. The main spotlight was on the 12th-minute incident when Lille and Indonesia national team wing-back Calvin Verdonk made a hard tackle on Marseille's Mason Greenwood during a quick counter-attack. Greenwood fell, sparking tension with pushing between players, but the referee issued only a yellow card to Verdonk for stopping a promising attack. Greenwood also received a yellow for his excessive reaction and was substituted by Ethan Nwaneri two minutes later due to thigh or right leg pain, though sources vary slightly on the exact timing as 'several minutes' or 'two minutes' post-incident. French media Foot National questioned: “Pencetak gol terbanyak liga itu langsung diterjang bek sayap tersebut, memicu ketegangan, dan anehnya pemain Lille itu tidak diusir dari lapangan,” or 'The league's top scorer was immediately charged by the wing-back, sparking tension, and strangely the Lille player was not sent off.' Despite the controversy, Marseille led 1-0 via Nwaneri's 43rd-minute goal assisted by Igor Paixao. Lille fought back in the second half: Thomas Meunier equalized in the 49th from a corner, then Olivier Giroud headed the winner in the 86th off Meunier's cross. The victory lifted Lille to fifth in the temporary standings with 47 points, while Verdonk's tackle is expected to fuel debate in French football.
