PLAYER RATINGS | Lens 2-1 Arsenal: Sang et Or clinch historic win

When they were crowned Ligue 1 champions in 1998, the following season saw Lens open their first-ever Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Arsenal, a late Tony Vairelles equaliser earning the Sang et Or a point. Twenty-five years on, against the same opponent, they have emphatically announced their return on the continental stage by bettering that result.

Spurred on by the ever-deafening Bollaert, Lens started on the front foot and earned two corners within the first ten minutes. Arsenal’s quality up front, though, meant they only need one chance to open the scoring – that chance would come through an underhit pass by Adrien Thomasson straight to Bukayo Saka, who threaded it through to Gabriel Jesus to duly finish past Brice Samba.

The response, though, was characteristically spirited from the hosts. While Arsenal initially looked able to assert some dominance in midfield, Lens’ relentless pressing proved an efficient disruptor. Just before the half-hour mark, Machado was able to intercept a pass wide from Raya and find Wahi on the edge of the box. The summer signing laid it off for Thomasson, who with a curled, first-touch finish managed to atone for his earlier error.

With Saka going off injured at the half-hour mark, Arsenal’s attacking potential was somewhat blunted, with Lens managing more shots despite having less than a third of possession. Franck Haise’s men would continue to construct incisive moves down the wing throughout the second half – the breakthrough eventually coming from a Frankowski-Sotoca combination on right, before the Pole found Wahi in the middle for a close-range finish. 

Colossal defensive performances from the ever-reliable Kevin Danso as well as Facundo Medina would ensure that Mikel