Loïs Openda’s RC Lens, an insatiable scorer, beat Rennes 1-0 and snatched second place in Ligue 1 from Marseille on Saturday in a 29th day favorable to Auxerre, victorious 1-0 against Troyes in a crucial duel for the upkeep.
Nine days before the end of the championship, the Lensois made an impression by winning against Rennais, competitors for Europe pushed back to ten points, and by recovering the tag of dolphin of Paris SG, a first since the end of January. . The Sang-et-Or now have 60 points and overtake OM, hung on Friday by Montpellier (1-1), thanks to a better goal difference.
At Roazhon Park, the visitors did the classic: Florian Sotoca, Lensois’ best passer this season, sent a well-calibrated cross for Loïs Openda (31st, 1-0), the Artesian club’s top scorer.
The 23-year-old Belgian, recruited last summer, is going through a prosperous period: he has scored fifteen goals in L1, including six in the last three days. The Rennais, winners of PSG before the winter break, can worry about their fifth place, the last qualifier for European competitions. Lille is in ambush, one point behind, before receiving Lorient on Sunday (1:00 p.m.).
At the bottom of the standings, AJ Auxerre pulled out of the red zone, at least temporarily, by further pushing Troyes, 18th. The Burgundians pocket a first success in more than a month and go back to 16th place with two points more than Brest, host of Toulouse on Sunday (3:00 p.m.). They will try to continue next weekend at the penultimate, Ajaccio.
The meeting, long insipid, ended with a center back from Nuno Da Costa for M’Baye Niang (74th), another player launched in the second half by Christophe Pélissier.
“Matches like this, between teams at the bottom of the table, can’t be a good game, and so I’m happy with the three points thanks to the collective strength of the group which brought about the success”, rejoiced the coach.
The maintenance mission is complicated for Troyes after this twelfth game without a win. “Here are several matches where we live the same scenario. We dominate and we concede a goal at the end”, regretted Patrick Kisnorbo, without having “nothing to reproach his players.
