10-man Lens keep Ligue 1 title ambitions alive with comeback win over Reims Lens kept their slim Ligue 1 title hopes alive on Friday night after recovering from a goal down and a sending-off to seal a 2-1 victory over Stade de Reims, who succumbed to three consecutive top-flight away defeats for the first time since April 2016. Lens moved 3 points behind leaders psg who have a game to play.
lens have the league’s best home record but made an uncharacteristically nervous start against a Reims side that were happy to soak up pressure and hit their hosts on the counter-attack. That approach reaped dividends when Alexis Flips played a perfectly-weighted pass to Folarin Balogun and the Arsenal loanee was pushed down by Kevin Danso in the box. Referee Jeremie Pignard pointed to the spot and showed a straight red card to Danso before the England U21 international coolly stepped up to score from the spot. It was Balogun’s 20th goal of the season in all competitions, quelling the previously fervent atmosphere inside the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Przemyslaw Frankowski scored from the spot to bring the hosts level going into half-time.The second goal was scored by Lens skipper Seko Fofana showed a brilliant mixture of strength and skill to weave his way through the Reims’ defence and fire beyond Yehvann Diouf in a stunning individual goal.
