RC Lens won the honorary title of Ligue 2 autumn champion with their victory at Bollaert against Niort (1-0).
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This 19th and last day before the winter break promised to be intense for the head of the classification. Side by side with Lorient at the top of the Ligue 2 ranking, RC Lens hoped to regain the upper hand and it was done, not without effort.
Niort, 18th in the Ligue 2 standings, was not an easy opponent. In the first half, the offensive trio between Gaëtan Robail, Tony Mauricio and Florian Sotoca is sought.
(1-0) 52: BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT of @GaetRobail well served by #Sotoca ! #RCLCNFC #rclens pic.twitter.com/euz3cQMnEb
— Racing club de Lens (@RCLens) December 21, 2019
The public will have waited for the start of the second half to see the Sang et Or score against Niort. In the 52nd minute, Sotoca deceives the Niort defense and serves Robail on a platter.
“Being 1 on 1, in front of the goalkeeper, and passing the pass to his friend, it shows the group mood. It will be one of the keys of the second half of the season”, responded the Lens coach Philippe Montanier.
A late game under pressure
Simon Banza was excluded in the 72nd minute for a sliding tackle deemed dangerous. This red card fell while the striker from Lens only returned 7 minutes earlier. Yannick Cahuzac gets a yellow card for contesting the referee’s decision.
Philippe Montanier admits it after the match: “At 11, we controlled and mastered. It was more difficult since we were reduced to 10. The end of the match was a little stressful.”
Niort then tries to take the lead by blocks, obtains corners and multiplies the actions in front of the cages of Jean-Louis Leca. But the Niort attack does not succeed in concluding. The lensois goalkeeper nevertheless ended the match with a pain in the back.
????️ Philippe #Montanier : “At 11, we controlled and we mastered. It was more difficult since we were reduced to 10. The end of the match was a little stressful.” #RCLCNFC #rclens
— Racing club de Lens (@RCLens) December 21, 2019
The pressure suffered by Lens, outnumbered, did not extinguish the atmosphere of the Bollaert-Delelis stadium.
A bargain offered (in part) by the VAFC
The 28,800 spectators knew it: the RC Lens victory made it possible to pass Lorient again.
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But the Sang et Or were able to count Friday evening on the Valenciennes to open a breach in the classification of Ligue 2. The hat-trick of Teddy Chevalier knocked out the defense of Lorient. The VAFC, in addition to becoming the 5th team in the championship, offered RC Lens the opportunity to garner more points.
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