The Stade Bollaert could finally welcome back supporters as Lens hosted relegation-threatened Metz, after playing behind closed doors for two games due to crowd trouble in the Derby du Nord against Lille.
Franck Haise made two changes to the team that lost to Montpellier, with Facundo Medina returning to the defence and Wesley Saïd joining the attack, replacing Christopher Wooh and David Costa. Lens lined up in the 3-4-3 formation they have adopted recently in place of their previous 3-4-1-2.
Frédéric Antonetti made four changes to the side that lost to Rennes the previous week. Out went Amadou Salif Mbengue, Lamine Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr and Opa Nguette, replaced by Thomas Delaine, Dylan Bronn, Fabien Centonze and Habib Maïga as Metz changed to a 3-5-2 shape.
It was a slow start to the game. Lens pressed high against Metz’s back three and, with three different men to change the angle, Metz once found a pass through into Kévin N’Doram in midfield. This left Lens outnumbered in the middle, three-against-two, however Metz rarely actually utilised this, mostly panicking and sending the ball long to the forwards instead, who would foul Lens’ centre-backs in their attempt to win the header.
Metz managed to flummox Lens a little by having Farid Boulaya keep tabs on Jonathan Gradit, often defending in more of a 5-4-1 shape due to Boulaya’s positioning. This limited the space Gradit had to push forward into, disrupting Lens’ build-up.
Lens took the lead from a free-kick though. It was a very basic move: Florian Sotoca came short towards the ball and Jemerson followed him, leaving a gap in the backline that Arnaud Kalimuendo ran into. Matthieu Udol managed to recover and catch up with him, but he couldn’t get the ball away, nudging it into the path of Saïd to finish.
After another slow spell, Metz equalised from a free-kick. Jean-Louis Leca punched away the initial cross, but only as far as Nicolas de Préville, who shot from the edge of the area as Leca scrambled to his feet, having been bundled over during the first phase.
It wasn’t long before Lens took the lead again though. From a throw-in on the left, Sotoca dropped into space in midfield to pick up the ball, then spread the ball out to Jonathan Clauss on the opposite flank, who had time to pick out a cutback. Cheick Doucouré shot but the ball fell to Saïd to scramble across the line, with Alexandre Oukidja left stranded on the floor having already dove for Doucouré’s initial shot.
Lens had better control at the start of the second half. Boulaya had returned to a more central position when Lens had the ball, meaning Gradit was now given more opportunity to push forward on the ball and play into attack.
Lens were also happier to sit off now they had the lead, blocking up the centre to make it hard for Metz to play through then pressing when they passed wide.
Metz had a goal ruled out for handball after it deflected off an arm when N’Doram and substitute Sarr rose above Przemyslaw Frankowski and Medina at a corner. This opportunity coming from a set-piece rather than any real pattern of play displayed how Metz weren’t really managing to fight back.
After switching to a 3-5-2 with the addition of Yannick Cahuzac, Lens secured their win through a goal from a different substitute: Ignatius Ganago. They pushed Metz backwards with a counter-attack, then played to Doucouré in space at the base of the midfield. The Malian carried the ball forward then slid a pass through to Ganago to finish, with Udol playing him onside.
Lens then added another in the final minutes when Metz gave the ball away in the final third, unleashing Clauss down the right to cross for Frankowski to finish at the far post.
It was far from Lens’ best performance of the season but more than enough to push aside a Metz side that had very little to offer.
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