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Lille will have to content themselves with a berth in the UEFA Cup after losing 1-0 away to Villarreal in their final Champions' League group match.
Their inability to score more than one goal over six encounters ultimately cost them dearly but although Coach Claude Puel and his players will be inconsolable, they still finished above European heavyweights Manchester United – who are eliminated from all continental competitions as the bottom-placed club in Group F.
That is unlikely to mean much to the northerners and their place in Europe's junior tournament will probably not help them sleep tonight either, yet they were always handicapped by their miniscule budget and having to play their 'home' games in Paris, and they did extremely well to keep their hopes alive until the final day.
Lille's lack of a recognised goalscorer proved fatal too and, forced to choose between two misfiring strikers, Claude Puel finally opted for Peter Odemwingie to lead the line. That meant leaving Matt Moussilou on the bench, yet it was midfielder Stéphane Dumont who left the first impression with an early volley that fizzed past the post.
It was an encouraging sign that Les Dogues were prepared for the battle ahead, and there was further confirmation of their determination when Stéphan Lichtsteiner received a cut lip in a heavy clash with Villarreal captain Rodolfo Arruabarrena. None of that helped them release Odemwingie up front, though, and the powerful Nigerian remained an isolated figure as his teammates struggled to unlock the home side's defence.
When he finally did find himself one-on-one with Villarreal goalkeeper Sebastien Viera on 23 minutes, Odemwingie unwisely chose to take a dive under pressure from Juan Manuel Pena instead of staying on his feet and trying his luck. Referee Ivanov correctly ignored his pleas and Lille had to wait another 20 minutes for another look at goal. When it came, it fell to Odemwingie once again, and this time the 24-year-old curled his shot narrowly over the bar from an excellent position.
In spite of that, the French side were dictating the game in midfield where Jean Makoun was in especially hungry mood, and the Spaniards had hardly had a peak at Tony Sylva's goal before Hector Font shot over in first-half stoppage time. But while that may have constituted a moral victory of sorts, with Benfica winning 2-1 in Lisbon at the same stage it meant Lille were tumbling out of the competition and would need to find more penetration after the interval.
Puel undoubtedly said much the same thing in the dressing-room, however it was Manuel Pellegrini's charges who emerged with more purpose in the second half, and Grégory Tafforeau did extremely well to beat José Mari to a Diego Forlan cross after 56 minutes. That danger passed, but disaster struck moments later when Font spread a pass out left to substitute Antonio Guayre, who dribbled past Lille No 1 Tony Sylva and deposited the ball in the net.
Now in need of two goals to reach the last 16 (or an equaliser in both games), Puel threw strike pair Moussilou and Kevin Mirallas into the fray, and the latter almost made an immediate impact with a volley from Tafforeau's left-wing cross that Viera somehow tipped away. The pressure had hardly swapped halves altogether – with Sylva pulling off a fine save from Riquelme at the other end – but Lille were now throwing caution to the wind and Dumont came within inches of levelling the scores only to see his effort thwack against the bar.
Teenager Mirallas then blasted over from 20 metres out, but belief seemed to be draining out of the northerners as the clock ticked down and they would not get another chance to punish their hosts.
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