Ligue 1: Lens wins against Monaco and heads for the Champions League

2023-04-23 01:35:20

This is called head and shoulders dominance. Lens, third, faced Monaco, fourth, this Saturday on the occasion of the 32nd day of Ligue 1, in a shock that smelled good of the Champions League. And finally, Franck Haise’s men won in style (3-0), with a double from Loïs Openda. Thanks to this victory, they temporarily take second place in the standings while waiting for Marseille’s match against Lyon on Sunday and are five points ahead of the Monegasques.

The Lensois released a first act at the limit of perfection. Very dominating and offensive, they suffocated the Monegasques with their high pressure and their very direct game. They also scored quickly thanks to Openda on a high recovery from Machado (9th). Transcended, the Blood and Gold doubled the bet seven minutes later once again on a new achievement from the Belgian (16th).

But still not satisfied, they could have added to the multiple chances of Sotoca, Fofana, who notably touched the amount of Nübel (44th) and Thomasson, whose goal was disallowed for offside at the start of the game. second period (50th). Finally, the former Strasbourg striker found the fault before the hour mark (58th). And defensively, the Lensois left no shooting window for Monaco (zero shots on target before the 41st minute). They therefore filled up with confidence, before facing Marseille in a shock at the top, on May 6th.

Loïs Openda in all the right moves

Loïs Openda honored his title of best player of the month for March. Very leggy, the Belgian was a real poison for the Monegasque defense, being very available on the front of the attack. He first opened the scoring on a clever throw-in from Machado before scoring his 17th goal of the season in Ligue 1 with a rebound from the right, which ended up under Nübel’s crossbar. And as if that weren’t enough, the 23-year-old striker delivered a nice assist to Thomasson from the right.

“It’s our most successful match of the season, savors Florian Sotoca at the microphone of Prime Video. We left nothing to the opponent from the first to the 90th minute. At the start of the season they were aiming for the Champions League so that’s great. Now we don’t have many games left and we have to stay focused. I hope that we will experience the Champions League next year”.

Given the game, and the atmosphere at the Bollaert stadium, the Lensois have everything to get there. In front of their TV, but even more so in the stadium, the public is not about to forget this moving version of the Corons sung a cappella and at the top of their lungs, in the middle of the second period, by 38,000 people in love with their team. In this crazy atmosphere, the Lensoise lair is visibly impenetrable. In Bollaert, the Sang et Or gleaned 43 points out of a possible 48 (14 wins, one draw, one loss). They are the best team in Ligue 1 at home ahead of PSG (38 points). A real rhythm of (vice) champion.