Lens turned a Champions League night that appeared to be slipping away into a 3-2 victory over Slavia Prague, scoring twice in stoppage time after being behind against ten men. Florian Thauvin headed in the equaliser in the 91st minute before Rubén Aguilar’s low right-foot strike won it two minutes later, with 16-year-old Mesloub at the centre of the decisive surge.
SEO Title
Lens stun Slavia Prague with late Champions League comeback
SEO Description
Lens beat Slavia Prague 3-2 in a dramatic Champions League league-phase match, with Florian Thauvin and Rubén Aguilar scoring in stoppage time.
Lens complete an extraordinary finish
For clubs outside the established Champions League elite, fixtures such as this can shape the entire league phase. Lens and Slavia Prague both arrived knowing that points in meetings with direct rivals may prove more accessible than those available against the competition’s biggest names.
Lens had already shown its capacity to challenge stronger opponents over the previous campaign. The northern French side took the Ligue 1 title race to Paris Saint-Germain deep into the season, lifted the French Cup and then defeated PSG again to claim the Super Cup during the summer.
That resilience was required again in Prague. Slavia were reduced to ten players at the beginning of the second half, yet somehow moved in front, restored their lead after Lens equalised, and looked set to survive. Instead, Lens found a response powered by the fearless contribution of Mesloub, who will turn 17 on 8 November.
- Slavia Prague led 1-0 through Sturm in the 51st minute despite Konecny’s dismissal.
- Sima brought Lens level after a crowded scramble in the penalty area.
- Sturm struck again to put Slavia 2-1 ahead late in the match.
- Mesloub crossed for Thauvin’s 91st-minute header to make it 2-2.
- Aguilar beat Markovic with a driven shot into the corner in the 93rd minute.
A breathless first half without a goal
Slavia started at full speed, forcing Lens into a compact defensive shape and attacking with urgency, if not always precision. Kubiak came closest in the opening spell, sending a left-foot effort narrowly wide of the visitors’ goal.
Lens gradually settled and began to test Markovic. The Slavia goalkeeper dealt with a Udol header through sound positioning, then produced a more spectacular save before half-time when Lens threatened again.
The home side believed it had taken the lead in between those chances. Ayaosi followed up after an initial attempt and put the ball into the net, but the goal was immediately ruled out. The referee had spotted a handball in the first effort before the rebound reached the attacker, ending celebrations for a goal that never stood.
Red card, setbacks and the teenage spark
The match changed rapidly after the interval. Konecny, introduced at half-time, lasted barely a minute and a half before bringing down Sima in his first involvement. Following a VAR review, the referee checked the pitchside monitor and concluded that the foul had denied a clear scoring opportunity, with Konecny judged to be the last defender.
Thauvin almost punished Slavia immediately, bending the resulting free-kick around the wall and just off target. But the next major moment belonged to the ten-man Czech side.
In the 51st minute, Sturm collected the ball on the edge of the area and curled a precise left-footed effort beyond Risser. The Lens goalkeeper could only watch as it travelled into the net, giving Slavia an unexpected lift at its most difficult point of the evening.
Lens needed greater urgency and found it after the introduction of Mesloub, also referred to as Mezian Mesloub. On his Champions League debut, the 16-year-old added imagination, speed and confidence to the French side’s attacks. Lens pressed ever more insistently until Sima converted after repeated rebounds inside the Slavia box.
Slavia’s courage punished at the last
Slavia did not retreat completely after losing their lead. Even a player down, they continued to seek a way forward, brought Chory off the bench and created another outstanding chance. Their willingness to attack was rewarded when Sturm scored again for 2-1.
Yet Lens refused to accept defeat. Mesloub supplied the delivery for Thauvin, whose excellent header levelled the contest in the 91st minute. Before Slavia could recover from that blow, Aguilar struck from the right side of the area, keeping his shot low and placing it beside the post beyond Markovic.
The final score left Lens celebrating a 3-2 comeback and Slavia Prague devastated after coming so close to a ten-man European victory. For Mesloub, the night offered an early indication of why expectations around him are growing so quickly: his first Champions League appearance helped alter the course of a match that had seemed beyond Lens.
