A first half Lens dominated and still lost
Lens ran the first 45 minutes at Bollaert and had nothing to show for it. Sotoca headed one chance at Nkambadio, then crossed another wide, and a possible penalty for handball against Coppola was waved away after a long VAR check. Paris FC barely reached the Lens box. They scored anyway: a break released Koleosho on the left, he combined with Sinayoko and finished past Risser in first-half stoppage time to make it 1-0.
The visitors were without Kevin Trapp, who was ill, so Nkambadio started in goal and made a string of saves to keep the lead intact at the break.
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Thauvin takes over after the break
The second half began with a scare for the hosts. Todibo was shown a red card for a foul on Kebbal as last defender, only for the VAR to find Kebbal offside and cancel it. Lens used the reprieve. Florian Thauvin cut inside, waited for the angle and drove a left-footed finish into the net in the 64th minute for 1-1, on the night he made his 300th Ligue 1 appearance.
Nineteen minutes later he supplied the winner. His cross from the left was let through by Sotoca and Thorgan Hazard, on as a substitute, controlled it and hit a left-footed half-volley that gave Nkambadio no chance. Lens put 30 crosses into the area over the evening, most of them from Thauvin and Adam Udol.
What it means for the table
Lens had lost 3-0 at Club Brugge on Tuesday, so the response mattered. It is a third straight league win under Yannick Cahuzac, and it lifts them to sixth, a point behind five clubs sitting on 14. Paris FC came in third and could have gone top alone with a win. Thauvin came in as the league’s leading assister with seven, and added another assist to his goal on the night.
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