Libyan international defender Ali Youssef excels with Nantes and neutralizes Endrick’s threat in his second Ligue 1 appearance, February 7, 2026. (Internet)
Libyan international defender Ali Youssef stole the spotlight in the 21st round of Ligue 1, delivering a remarkable defensive performance and completely neutralizing the young Brazilian striker Endrick, confirming his strong presence in his second appearance for his team Nantes, despite the 1-0 loss to Lyon.
Ali Youssef emerged as one of the standout players of the match, imposing strict control over Endrick and preventing him from creating any notable danger against Nantes’ goal, before the Lyon striker’s involvement in the match ended with a red card, a scene that reflected the clear defensive superiority of the Libyan defender.
Youssef second highest-rated Nantes player
Despite receiving a yellow card in the 66th minute, Ali Youssef received the second-highest rating among Nantes players according to ‘SofaScore’ with a score of 7.6, in a match where he showed high tactical discipline and physical strength.
Statistically, Ali Youssef excelled in all aerial duels, succeeding in 5 out of 5, and won 5 ground duels out of 7. He successfully executed 9 crucial defensive interventions, which played a major role in reducing the threat of Lyon’s attack.
The Libyan defender also recorded a perfect success rate in tackles, with 3 successful tackles out of 3 attempts, in addition to winning the ball in a sensitive situation as the last man, further enhancing his defensive value during the match.
Lyon players were only able to dribble past Ali Youssef once throughout the entire match, while he cleared the ball on 4 occasions and recovered it twice in influential areas, confirming his defensive solidity.
Offensive attempts alongside defensive duties
Despite his primary focus on defensive duties, Ali Youssef attempted to contribute offensively with two shots on Lyon’s goal, neither of which found the target, while his passing accuracy reached 79%, and he delivered 5 successful long passes out of 7, with a success rate of 71%.
Nantes suffered a loss in this round, dropping to 16th place in the standings with 14 points. However, Ali Youssef’s outstanding performance was a bright spot for the team and a clear message about his ability to quickly adapt to the atmosphere of Ligue 1 and compete against the top attacking talents.
