The Stade Bollaert was in a celebratory mood after the announcement that Jonathan Clauss had been selected to represent the national team, becoming the first Lens player since Alou Diarra in 2006 to play for France.
Franck Haise made three changes to the side that drew with Metz, replacing Facundo Medina, Gaël Kakuta and Arnaud Kalimuendo with Przemyslaw Frankowski, David Costa and Ignatius Ganago. Lens continued with their 3-5-2 shape.
Pascal Gastien made two changes to the team that lost to Lorient, with Florent Ogier and Mohamed Bayo replacing Vital N’Simba and Grejohn Kyei. Clermont set up in a 4-5-1 shape.
Clermont took an early lead thanks to some comical defending by Lens. At a throw-in, Yohann Magnin made a run in behind Massadio Haïdara to receive the ball, then laid off the ball to Akim Zedadka on the overlap, the pair doubling up on Frankowski. Kevin Danso was caught under Zedadka’s cross, allowing it to run through to Bayo, who was tightly marked by Jonathan Gradit, however the defender made little attempt to play the ball, instead holding tight to Bayo. The Guinean controlled and turned, and although Gradit and Wuilker Fariñez did enough to stop him finishing, Elbasan Rashani was quickest to the loose ball to knock it into the empty net.
That goal came against the general run of play though, as Lens had the majority of the control. Clermont’s shape didn’t really line up well against Lens’, as they had Lucas Da Cunha and Rashani drop back in line with the midfielders, tracking Lens’ wing-backs.
This left Haïdara and Gradit free, while Cheick Doucouré was generally also left free to receive the ball in midfield, giving them the time and space to pick out passes.
If one of Clermont’s midfielders left their shape to close them down, then they would leave a gap elsewhere for Lens to exploit, allowing them to play through the midfield.
Lens also threatened by overloading Clermont’s backline. With the wing-backs stretching play and the two attackers occupying defenders, Lens could usually play out to the flanks to pull the Clermont full-backs wide, then have Seko Fofana and Costa make runs in behind. Lens consistently overhit their crosses though, and when they hit low ones across the face of goal, Clermont’s defenders were doing well to get back and cut them out.
Lens got their equaliser from a corner shortly before half-time. They played it short, before crossing to a cluster of players at the back post. Clermont simply failed to get the ball away, so the ball fell to Danso to neatly finish.
Lens then took the lead immediately before the break. Ouparine Djoco claimed an aerial ball, but took his time in releasing it before dropping it to the floor in order to kick long. Florian Sotoca had hidden behind him though, so as soon as Djoco released the ball from his hands, Sotoca nipped in to steal it and finished into the empty net from a tight angle. It was an easy mistake to make, but one the young goalkeeper likely won’t make again.
Lens then added a third part-way through the second half. Following a free-kick, Djoco punched the ball only as far as Clauss, whose shot rebounded back off the post and fell to Haïdara to finish.
In an attempt to get back into the game, Clermont began pressing Lens high up the pitch, but, by pushing their wingers and midfielders forward to press, they opened up their midfield, allowing Lens to either play through them or hit the ball over the top and win the second ball in midfield.
In a bad run of form at the moment, the early goal suggested that Lens would be wasting their early control again, but it ended up a comfortable win for the Sang et Or.
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