A few days after winning the European Super Cup against Aston Villa, Paris Saint-Germain met at Bollaert to try to win a second trophy in the space of a few days. Facing him, RC Lens wanted to take advantage of the home advantage and the exceptional atmosphere of the Artesian stadium to create a surprise. For this first big poster of the national season, Dino Toppmöller notably decided to entrust the armband to Florian Thauvin, one of the major figures of his new project. A particularly symbolic choice for the former Marseillais, who rediscovered the taste for big French evenings with the status of assumed leader. And in the Bollaert stands, a presence obviously could not go unnoticed, that of Zinédine Zidane, the new coach of the Blues, who came to attend this particularly scrutinized meeting.
The Lensois had a great opportunity to score points under the eyes of the man who now embodies the future of the France team. After a first period where PSG had control of the ball for a long time, Lens managed to turn the match around with a perfectly exploited transition. In the 32nd minute, Matthieu Udol found Florian Thauvin at the far post after a delivery from Abdallah Sima and the Artesian captain did not tremble to finish with his right foot. An important goal since it allowed the Sang et Or to take control while they were already playing in a complicated context. Seven minutes later, Kyllian Antonio was sent off for a dangerous move on Maghnes Akliouche, leaving Lens with ten men for a long final game. Despite this numerical inferiority, Toppmöller’s men resisted the Parisian assaults (1-0), until PSG also finished with ten men after the direct expulsion of Nuno Mendes in the 87th minute. A particularly intense evening during which Thauvin perfectly embodied the combative face of his team.
Words and also deeds for Flotov
This performance necessarily takes on an additional dimension in view of the statements recently made by the player about the France team. At 33, Thauvin has never hidden his desire to return to the Blues and took advantage of the Champions Trophy press conference to send a very clear message to ZinĂ©dine Zidane. “If I hope to go back?” Yes, of course. But first of all, we must thank Didier Deschamps for everything he has brought to the France team. He’s even the one who allowed me to realize my dream and join the French team”he explained, before openly projecting himself towards the new coach. “And now, it’s ZinĂ©dine Zidane’s time to take charge of the French team. I think we’re all very proud and we’re all looking forward to seeing Zidane on the bench. Concerning myself, as always, I will follow the same line of conduct: to be the most efficient on a daily basis with Lens to give yourself the right to dream”. The message was clear and a few days later, the Lensois captain, credited with a rating of 7.5 by the editorial staff of French Football Weeklyhas just had the opportunity to put his words into practice in front of the one he hopes to convince. Because if a single meeting is obviously not enough to upset the hierarchy in the French team, Thauvin could hardly dream of a better scene to remind us that he had not given up.
Facing the French champion, in an incandescent Bollaert and with the captain’s armband around his arm, the Lensois was decisive by scoring the only goal for his team and constantly giving voice in a collective reduced to ten for more than fifty minutes. His performance, his leadership and his composure in the last gesture were inevitably scrutinized by Zidane from the stands. “It’s a pride to have won in front of Zinedine Zidane, it gave me energy. We will remain measured, we have work and we try to continue with last year. We responded today, but we must continue throughout the season», Reacted Thauvin. Just a few days after claiming the right to dream of a return to the selection, the former darling of the VĂ©lodrome responded on the pitch with a performance that could not go unnoticed. The new coach has now seen with his own eyes the captain of RC Lens shine in a prestigious evening. It’s up to Thauvin to continue this momentum to transform this wink into a real candidacy.
