Big winner of AS Monaco (4-1), RC Lens temporarily takes control of the championship. For their part, the Monegasques did not reassure and chained a third match without victory.
Lens strikes a blow. Traveling to the Rock, Franck Haise’s men overcame AS Monaco on Saturday, still as unreassuring (4-1) and temporarily settled at the top of Ligue 1. Brice Samba was brilliant, much less Vanderson, faulty on the first two but before being excluded.
The Sang et Or distinguished themselves very quickly in this enticing duel, through their rookie Loïs Openda. The Belgian center-forward is at the conclusion of a perfect collective action, alone at the far post abandoned by Vanderson (7th). It was then through their goalkeeper Brice Samba that the visitors distinguished themselves, since the former Marseille player repelled an attempt by Minamino with a superb reflex save, before Embolo missed the target against goal (17th).
A controversial penalty for Sotoca
The meeting will get carried away even more before the break, with the goal of the break for Deiver Machado, who takes the ball in the feet of Vanderson before deceiving Nübel with a cross shot (38th). Then with the reduction of the Monegasque gap thanks to Benoît Badiashile, imperial in the air to take back a corner from Henrique with a winning whim (41st). Lens returned to the locker room with a short but logical lead in view of this disputed and lively first period.
The Northerners regain a two-goal lead from the start, on a very questionable penalty. At the entrance to the surface, Sotoca stumbles on Embolo and collapses. The referee designates without hesitation the penalty point and is not called upon to review his decision by the VAR, despite a contact which seems very light, even non-existent. Seko Fofana punishes ASM anyway by transforming the sentence into strength (55th).
Samba still a saviour, Vanderson’s Calvary
AS Monaco will quickly have the opportunity to get back into the game again but Ben Yedder, will have a small number in the opposing defense to get in the direction of the goal, comes up against a still solid Samba (59th) . The locals have just missed their chance, since if Openda narrowly misses the target and the double (69th), Vanderson puts an end to the suspense by spreading his partners to ten following a second warning (72nd). The second red card in a row for the Red and Whites, after Fofana was sent off against Rennes last Saturday (1-1).
Entering the game a few seconds earlier, Wesley Saïd joins the party with a powerful shot at the near post which leaves Nübel, not exempt from any reproach, on the spot (78th). The two teams end the meeting in freewheel and RC Lens quietly deposit towards a first place in Ligue 1 deserved in view of its successful start to the championship. ASM, which has only won one match so far, will still have a lot to do next weekend in its busy start to the season, on the lawn of the Parc des Princes.