Rain fell over Bollaert as Lens finally found a way out of their winless run, holding off Lyon 2-1 on Friday night in Yannick Cahuzac’s first home match in charge. After three weeks without Ligue 1 action and four league fixtures without a victory before the break, the Sang et Or produced the sharper, harder performance and survived a late Lyon surge to move into seventh place.
Cahuzac had used the interruption in the season to prepare for only his second game on the Lens bench, and his selection of Florian Sotoca for a first start of the campaign paid off. Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif had already denied the forward in the 12th minute, but Sotoca broke the deadlock nine minutes before half-time. He brought down Florian Thauvin’s delivery on his chest, turned and finished to give Lens a deserved lead.
Greif prevented the scoreline from becoming more severe before the interval. The Lyon goalkeeper pushed away a powerful left-footed attempt from Thauvin in the 44th minute, then won a one-on-one against Odsonne Edouard in first-half stoppage time. Lyon had spent much of the opening period under pressure, with their goalkeeper offering the main resistance.
Lens withstand Lyon’s late response
Lyon came back with greater purpose after the restart and Robin Risser had to divert Pavel Sulc’s effort in the 49th minute. Their evening took another damaging turn nine minutes later, however, when Loïs Openda was forced off after a tackle by Ismaëlo Ganiou. Keito Nakamura entered in his place and would later cause Lens problems during the closing stages.
Lens continued to play with aggression and eventually doubled their advantage in the 76th minute. Matthieu Udol headed in from a Thauvin free-kick, but his night ended with a red card, leaving Cahuzac’s side to defend the final phase with 10 men.
Lyon immediately sensed a route back into the contest. Khalis Merah reduced the deficit in the 85th minute, and the visitors pressed through five minutes of added time as Nakamura created further anxiety in the Lens penalty area. The equaliser never arrived. Lens protected their lead and celebrated a long-awaited win in front of a soaked, delighted home crowd, while Lyon may not remain in the top three by the end of the weekend.
