Reigning French champions Lille suffered a 0-1 loss away to promoted Clermont on Saturday, with the club president accusing the team of “individual and collective poverty” for a performance which followed a run of three wins.

Vital N’Simba drilled in from 20 metres just after the half-hour to earn Clermont a first victory in eight matches and deny Lille the chance to break into the top three. “We hit the bottom, we were really bad,” said Lille president Olivier Letang.