without shining, Lens falls to Reims and climbs into the Top 5

2023-12-17 00:50:24

Wesley Saïd and the Sang et Or scored plenty of points this Saturday. FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

With a little success, the Sang et Or brought down the Stade de Reims and are moving up the rankings.

Deprived of many executives and undoubtedly blunted after their campaign in the Champions League, the Lensois will not be choosy. Failing to convince, they took the three points against Reims (2-0) this Saturday, during the 16th day of Ligue 1. A success which allows them to climb into the Top 5 in the ranking. Reims remains eighth. Wesley Saïd scored the first Lens goal. Oscar Cortes then doubled the lead, his first goal for Racing.

In this ambitious duel, the Rémois first took the upper hand on the Bollaert pitch. Faced with a revamped RC Lens due to several major absences (Gradit, Medina, Sotoca, Wahi, Machado, etc.), Will Still’s players wanted to seize their chance. Aligned with Junya Ito and Mohamed Daramy in attack, Keito Nakamura forced Brice Samba to make a first save (15th). In full time in Champagne, Emmanuel Agbadou hit the post straight away (16th) then Daramy thought he had opened the score, before a tiny offside confirmed by the VAR dampened his joy (19th). Lens was rushed and uninspired, waiting until the 37th minute to record their first shot thanks to Wesley Saïd. This same Saïd who took advantage of the huge disagreement between Joseph Okumu and Yehvann Diouf to finally open the scoring, against the run of play, with the help of the crossbar (1-0, 43rd). Reims scuttled after missing another clear opportunity by Nakamura, not enough killer in front of Samba (42nd). At the break, Franck Haise and his troops could count themselves lucky to be in the lead.

Reims has failed too much to hope

And they were going to take another breath after returning from the locker room when the Champenois continued their harvest. Ito crossed his shot too far in a good position (46th), Teddy Teuma lacked power (50th) and Yunis Abdelhamid did not get his header on target from six meters (52nd). Reims’ chance had passed even if Ito continued his cross workshop while Daramy ran out of steam running in all directions. Thanks to the economy, and thanks to efficient entrants, Lens let the storm pass until entering the last quarter of an hour. Moment chosen by Oscar Cortes, a young 20-year-old Colombian, to seal the fate of the match, with a header, on a perfect cross from Ruben Aguilar (2-0, 75th). As is often the case in football, the ineffective team in front of goal ended up being punished by their opponent.

As in Nice last Sunday (2-1 defeat), the Rémois will bite their fingers while the Sang et Or continue their good series with a fourth consecutive success at home in Ligue 1.