The home side was on the front foot from the first whistle, and their prolific counter-attack proved too hot to handle throughout the first half. However, luckily for Toulouse, the Lens attackers seemed to have left their shooting boots at home on the night. A combination of poor decision-making and last-ditch defending saw the visitors’ rearguard hold on in the face of intense Lens pressure. The restless home crowd made their feelings known as the two teams headed down the tunnel deadlocked at the break.
The home faithful’s frustration carried over into the second period, as their side was given a golden opportunity to snatch the lead within ten minutes when Deiver Machado was taken down in the box, forcing the referee to award Lens a penalty. However, the subsequent spot-kick was hit without conviction by Seko Fofana, allowing Maxime Dupé to parry the shot away and keep the scoreline level. Finally, the duck was broken for the hosts on the hour mark when Loïs Openda headed home a Florian Sotoca cross only five minutes after the pair had entered the match from the bench.
Two clinical Openda strikes in the latter stages saw the Belgian secure his hat-trick to cap off a fantastic cameo, and more importantly, all three points for Les Sang et Or to set the Stade Bollaert-Delelis alight. The superb result sees Franck Haise’s men strengthen their hold on second place as they push for their first top-four finish since 2006.
The Toulouse faithful will be delighted to be sitting in the top half of the Ligue 1 standings in their first season back in the division since 2019/20. However, with their four-game unbeaten streak now snapped, Philippe Montanier’s men will have to get back to winning ways as they push to cement their place in the top flight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Loïs Openda (RC Lens)
