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- Lens Crushes Monaco as Wesley Said Scores Twice and Ansu Fati Misses a Penalty
Lens Crushes Monaco as Wesley Said Scores Twice and Ansu Fati Misses a Penalty
With a brace from Wesley Said and a dominant performance, Lens defeated Monaco 4-1 at the Stade Louis II, where Ansu Fati missed a late penalty and Folarin Balogun’s red card sealed a disastrous night for the home side in Ligue 1.
Lens Rise to the Top as Monaco Collapse
Lens produced a stunning performance at the Stade Louis II, thrashing Monaco 4-1 to climb to the top of the Ligue 1 table alongside Marseille. The team coached by Pierre Sage took full advantage of defensive mistakes and a costly red card to continue their impressive run of form.
Goalkeeper Philipp Köhn’s early error allowed Odsonne Edouard to open the scoring for Lens, but Mamadou Sangaré’s foul on Folarin Balogun inside the box handed Monaco a lifeline. Balogun converted from the spot to make it 1-1 midway through the first half.
The parity didn’t last long. In the 40th minute, Wesley Said restored the lead for the visitors after an assist from Edouard, and just before halftime, Mamadou Sangaré made it 3-1 with a composed finish following a clever pass from Florian Thauvin.
Red Card, Missed Penalty, and Monaco’s Ongoing Struggles
Things went from bad to worse for Monaco in first-half stoppage time, when Balogun was sent off for a reckless challenge on Sangaré, leaving his team with ten men for the entire second half.
At the hour mark, Said completed his brace, sealing a dominant 4-1 victory for Lens, who showed no mercy against an outclassed opponent. In the closing minutes, coach Sebastien Pocognoli brought on Ansu Fati in a last attempt to spark a reaction, but the Spaniard squandered his chance to score from the penalty spot, denied by goalkeeper Robin Risser.
With this result, Lens move level on 25 points with Marseille, sitting at the top on goal difference, while Paris Saint-Germain trail by just one point. Meanwhile, Monaco suffered their second consecutive defeat and find themselves sinking down the standings during one of their toughest spells of the season.
