The reunion between Lens and the Champions League turned irrational. On the pitch of Slavia Prague, the Racing Club de Lens not only gleaned three precious points in the race for qualification: the Artois club achieved an unforgettable success, even writing one of the craziest pages in its European history at the end of a stunning scenario.
However, everything seemed destined for an evening of regrets. Dominated in intensity and shaken by the commitment of the Czechs, the Sang et Or had just seen their hosts, despite being numerically inferior, regain the advantage in the final moments of regulation time (88th, 2-1).
But in the space of a few unreal minutes, the Lensois overturned everything. Refusing fate, they threw their last strength into the battle to score two goals in quick succession and win 3-2. Captain Florian Thauvin first equalized by jumping higher than everyone on a cross from young Mezian Mesloub (90th + 1, 2-2) and two minutes later, Ruben Aguilar delivered his team with a right cross shot that nestled in the small opposite net, thus offering an unexpected victory to the vice-champions of France (90th + 3, 3-2).
Lens, 28 years later
Such an upset is extremely rare: Lens is the first team to win a Champions League match (excluding extra time) while trailing at the start of added time since the legendary Borussia Dortmund – Malaga in 2013. At the time, Marco Reus and Felipe Santana overthrew the Spaniards in a melting Signal Iduna Park. We had to wait thirteen years to see such a miracle again.
Beyond the irrational scenario, this victory puts an end to a drought more than a quarter of a century old. By winning in the Czech Republic, RC Lens achieved their very first away success in the most prestigious European competition since November 1998. At the time, the Sang et Or won 1-0 at Wembley against Arsenal thanks to a legendary achievement from Michaël Debève. Twenty-eight years later, the current generation finally offers a sequel to this feat on English soil.
