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Nabil Bentaleb sprinted to the bench and was hugged by everyone there as he scored for the first time after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest in mid-June last year.
Nabil Bentaleb scored after making his return after a hearth attack (X)
Nabil Bentaleb scored four minutes into his first appearance since suffering a heart attack to inspire Lille to a 2-0 victory at Rennes on Sunday with his coach hailing the player’s “incredible story”.
The win allowed Lille to reclaim fifth place in Ligue 1 that Lyon had briefly grabbed earlier in the day by thrashing last-placed Montpellier.
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Bentaleb, a 30-year-old Algerian international midfielder, suffered a heart attack last June.
He has since been fitted with a defibrillator, club sources told AFP.
The French Football Federation medical commission on Wednesday cleared him to play.
He returned to the pitch after 76 minutes on Sunday night, four minutes after the hosts had been reduced to 10 men when Christopher Wooh was sent off.
Lille had bombarded Brice Samba in the Rennes goal, who had also saved a weak first half penalty by Chuba Akpom.
But four minutes after coming on Bentaleb broke the deadlock, running in at the far post to poke home the rebound after another Samba save.
Bentaleb galloped to the sideline pointing to the coaching staff before jumping into their arms. Akpom slid home a second six minutes later.
‘Terrible times’
“It’s really an incredible story and we’re all happy to experience it,” said Lille coach Bruno Genesio.
“He hung on, he believed in himself, he believed in the people who took care of him.
“There were periods where we all wondered if he was going to play again or not. As time went by, we all had more and more confidence in him and in his ability to play again.”
Genesio added: “Obviously, it was already a real victory for him, because he went through terrible times.”
After the final whistle, Lille’s players urged Bentaleb to go toward the traveling supporters, who applauded him.
“It’s incredible. These images will remain engraved for life,” Bentaleb told match broadcaster DAZN. “There are things that are not forgotten and that I will not forget when I stop playing football.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
