Lens confirmed its recovery by winning by a short header in Strasbourg, this Friday evening, at the opening of the 7th day of Ligue 1 (1-0).
The poster was enticing. Because Strasbourg and Lens, strongholds of French football and popular clubs par excellence, agree on many points. Both Racings are renowned for the fervor of their supporters. And this meeting at the curtain-raiser of the 7th day of Ligue 1 further attested to this, in a bustling Meinau venue.
If we expected that the two clubs would not swim in the same waters, the photograph of the classification at kick-off was still surprising. Where Strasbourg was in 5th place despite uneven performances, Lens remained stuck at the bottom of the ranking after having waited until the start of autumn to unlock its victory counter.
Wahi’s jewel
The carrot was nice for both teams. After a hopeful week, the French vice-champions were able to make a small jump in the rankings to give themselves some fresh air and definitively launch their season. But Strasbourg also had assets to showcase, and above all the prospect of joining Brest at the top of Ligue 1.
In this undecided and disputed balance of power, it was the Blood and Gold who had the last word. More effective in the two zones of truth, Franck Haise’s men only needed a small goal to come home with three points – and what a goal! On a superb technical sequence, Elye Wahi eliminated his bodyguard with a little backheel to take the ball before unleashing a victorious and clinical shot into the net (0-1, 16th). The French international Espoir unlocks his counter in Lens with this high-class goal.
An opening score which made the task easier for Lensois. Well organized without being particularly flashy, the French vice-champions managed their advantage intelligently, even if they missed some ammunition to make the break, like Danso (21st) or Sotoca (28th, 73rd). Opposite, the Strasbourg residents were too imprecise in the last gesture to resurface. Gameiro, in particular, lacked success until the last minute, coming up against Samba in stoppage time (90th + 2). The score has no longer changed. Now thirteenth, Lens takes a little jump to take a breath of air.
