Lens, carried by the lightning hat-trick in less than five minutes from Loïs Openda, carried out the good operation of the weekend and is back on the podium (3rd) after its great success in Clermont (4-0), Sunday, putting the pressure on OM, unable to beat Strasbourg at the Vélodrome (2-2).
OM, very early reduced to ten after the exclusion in the 29th minute of Leonardo Balerdi, guilty of a foul on Habib Diallo, thought they had done the hardest part by leading 2-0 until the 88th minute, but they was punished by the double of Jean-Eudes Aholou and sees the Parisian leader, winner the day before in Brest (2-1), escape with ten points in advance.
The second place of the Marseillais is now in great danger, because Lens begins to push hard behind. The Sang-et-Or, who had just gone three games without a win in all competitions, have recovered perfectly and are only two lengths behind the Phocaeans.
Above all, it was Openda’s performance that caused a sensation. The Lensois striker single-handedly blasted the Clermont defense by scoring three goals in quick succession in the first half, the fastest hat-trick of the last 50 years in the league with that of Lille’s Matt Moussilou in 2005 against Istres.
Something to do good for the Northerners, who seemed to be struggling since their exploit against PSG at the start of the year (3-1). Considered after this success as possible candidates for the title and won over by euphoria, Franck Haise and his players logically had a hard time digesting this status. They nevertheless remain very serious candidates for the Champions League.
The Monegasques, who are also bearing the brunt of the Lensois awakening and demoted to fourth place, would do well to be wary of it. ASM can bite their fingers at having been surprised by Reims at Louis-II (1-0) despite several clear chances, even if they are not the first to break their teeth on Will Still’s men, who have not lost any of their last nineteen meetings in L1. The Rocher club marks a singular step with this third consecutive outing without a win.
Undefeated in Ligue 1 since January 11, Nice for its part is treading water (7th) after the draw brought back from Nantes (2-2). The last French representative in the European Cup, who receives Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday in the round of 16 second leg of the Europa League Conference, may already have had his mind elsewhere. The Gym indeed led twice before conceding a second goal just two minutes from the end of regulation time.
At the bottom of the table, Angers continues to sink. The red lantern, which already seems condemned to relegation, conceded a 21st loss against Toulouse (2-0), five days after the resignation of coach Abdel Bouhazama, in the hot seat after the revelation of sexist remarks in support of a player prosecuted for touching.
The club is sinking inexorably into crisis and several dozen SCO supporters demonstrated outside the stadium before the match, chanting “Leadership, resign!” and sticking up “Fiasco d’Angers, get out everyone” posters.
