Lens-Lyon: one Florian hides another, Cahuzac (re)ignites Bollaert, OL cut short… The tops and flops

The Florian tandem

RC Lens was able to count on its duo formed by Florian Thauvin and Florian Sotoca to win against OL on Friday evening (2-1). The first, captain of Racing, turned into a decisive passer for his friend (36th), a few minutes before pushing Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif into a sensational save on a curling shot from the left (45th), then doing it again by distilling his fifth offering of the season on a perfectly timed corner for the head of his teammate Matthieu Udol (76th). Always strong and punchy, the number 10 of the Sang et Or had a solid match, once again showcasing his technical quality as well as his impressive volume of play.

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For his part, the 35-year-old striker, started for the first time this season by his new coach Yannick Cahuzac, who knows him perfectly, (re)found the net before the break, at the end of a magnificent sequence of chest control then right recovery, to score his first goal of the season! Despite his age, the Lens offensive player, removed from the starting eleven by former coach Dino Toppmöller, still has something under his belt. And not just a little. Hats off, Sotoca. Respect to his name.

Read also Ligue 1: successful first at Bollaert for Cahuzac, Lens inflicts its first defeat of the season on Lyon

Successful baptism of fire for Cahuzac

After a first defeat on the Lens bench in Monaco before the international break, the new RCL coach managed his comeback perfectly in front of the Bollaert crowd! Former Racing player (2019-2022) and teammate of Florian Sotoca, Yannick Cahuzac had the flair to revive his attacker on Friday evening, until then plastered on the bench since the start of the season. Result: the number 7 scored a splendid goal for his return as a starter and offered his friend his first success at the head of the team. Felt good!

Greif floated

With three saves from the four shots suffered in the first period, the Lyon goalkeeper kept his team in the match for a long time. Powerless in the face of Florian Sotoca's perfect sequence, Dominik Greif nevertheless delivered a great performance. Without him, OL would certainly have been at least two goals behind at the break.

Also read Ligue 1: on video, the high-class sequence from Sotoca which puts Lens into orbit against Lyon

FLOPS

OL cut short their momentum

This is what we could fear for Lyon... Blazing against Stade Rennais (4-0) at Groupama Stadium before the international break, Les Gones were never able to find the solution on Friday evening in the North. With less than 0.50 xG, Olympique Lyonnais was generally harmless. Even if Robin Risser finished the match with two saves from as many attempts on target, Paulo Fonseca's team seemed to slow down, making a series of technical errors, far from the level displayed in recent weeks.

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The Gones attack from within

The Rhone offensives in the evening will never have weighed on the Artesian defense. Despite an attentive Robin Risser, the northern defenders were little worried by the Lyon attackers. Whether it was Pavel Sulc, Ernest Nuamah, Loïs Openda or even captain Corentin Tolisso, they all had great difficulty expressing themselves in this meeting. To top it off, OL center forward Openda went off with an injury an hour into the match, while returning to his former club.