For their return to the competition in front of their home crowd after 21 years of absence, the Sang et Or delivered a very solid performance on Tuesday to win against the English (2-1), big favorites in Group B.
It’s a magical night, the one that all Lensois supporters had dreamed of during the draw for the group stage of the Champions League this summer. In a sold-out Bollaert-Delélis stadium, facing an Arsenal team previously undefeated since the start of the season, the Sang et Or wrote, on Tuesday October 3, one of the most beautiful pages in their European history by winning against the English (2-1).
Faulty on the Gunners’ opener by Gabriel Jesus (0-1, 14th), Adrien Thomasson made up for it perfectly with a sublime goal ten minutes later (1-1, 24th). Returning from the locker room, Brice Samba kept his team in the match with two big saves (48th, 66th), before Elye Wahi came to give the locals the advantage (2-1, 69th) and materialize a rise in power of Franck Haise’s men at the end of the second period. A deserved and controlled success, which will not only redistribute the cards in this group B but will undoubtedly increase the ambitions of the French vice-champions. Lens is provisionally in the lead after the draw between PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla (2-2).
21 years later, Lens has its new moment in history
Before kick-off, observers were waiting to know which version of the Artesian club would present itself to Bollaert to challenge the ogre Arsenal (10 matches, seven wins and three draws this season). The one observable in Ligue 1, which is languishing in 15th place after a complicated start to the year (two wins, one draw, four defeats)? Or the promising team which held Sevilla to a draw (1-1) at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on September 20 during the first day of C1?
After a good start to the match, Gabriel Jesus’ opening score against the run of play following an error from Adrien Thomasson left doubts lingering. “It was a roller coaster in the first half, after the goal I had a difficult time”confided the former Strasbourg resident to the microphone of Canal+ after the final whistle. “But the equalizer right after did me good. We knew that if we continued to attack them, to play forward, we could do something and we succeeded.”
Deprived of the ball (67% possession for the Gunners over the entire game), the Lensois remained patient and organized. In goal, Brice Samba kept the ship afloat on the rare English chances. Too imprecise and quickly deprived of their trump card Bukayo Saka, out injured (32nd), Mikel Arteta’s players ended up giving in on a recovery in their half of the field after the hour mark.
The perfect combination between Przemyslaw Frankowski and Elye Wahi gave the Sang et Or the advantage. A definitive advantage which will be celebrated as it should be by 38,000 erupting spectators.“I had chills, I’m not yet used to these meetings. It’s a beautiful evening, I hope to be able to relive others like these. It’s crazy, as they say “, explained Wahi to Canal+ to the output. 21 years after its last appearance in the competition, while the second scorer of the evening (20 years old) was not yet born, the Artesian club struck a big blow, and signed one of the greatest successes of a club tricolor in the Champions League in recent years.