Traveling to London to challenge Arsenal this Wednesday, Lens was humiliated by losing 6-0 against the ruthless Gunners. Franck Haise's players are eliminated from the Champions League, but will fight for a place in the Europa League on the last day against Sevilla.
To get out of a group like his, you needed a bit of luck. And even before playing its prestigious match, RC Lens saw that it did not have one, with the victory snatched by PSV Eindhoven on the pitch of Sevilla FC. This result had simple consequences: in the event of a defeat at Arsenal , the Sang-et-Or were eliminated from the Champions League . No luck again, Franck Haise's men quickly conceded a goal from Kai Havertz. But there was nothing illogical about it as they were passive in the action, from Tomiyasu's cross to Gabriel's header to Havertz (1-0, 13th).
The dream evening we had hoped for would very quickly turn into a nightmare. Gabriel Jesus wandered into the area and punished the Lensois (2-0, 21st). Then Martinelli made Gradit, who was in great difficulty, dizzy and fired. Samba pushed back right into the legs of Saka, who didn't ask for that much (3-0, 23rd). Finished ? Still not since this time, Martinelli was in charge of the sentence himself. He made Frankowski dance the samba then produced a wonderful shot (4-0, 27th). In 6 minutes, RC Lens had just conceded 3 goals, and lost 4-0. A harsh return to European reality.
A calmer second half
It was necessary to stop the bleeding, and the Northerners finally succeeded, not without difficulty. Medina even sounded the revolt, sending a heavy strike against the post (40th). Wahi finally showed his speed to drop Saliba and cross hard in front of the goal, Fulgini tried his luck from afar, in short, things were going much better for Lensois. But it was only an illusion. Arsenal accelerated once again, through Saka who shifted Tomiyasu whose cross was volleyed by Odegaard (5-0, 45+1'). The referee whistled for the break, to the great relief of the Lensois supporters.
Returning from the locker room, Haise sheltered his players under possible suspension (Sotoca, Abdul Samed and Medina) and launched Thomasson, El Aynaoui and Machado. The match was balanced, but technical mastery remained on Arsenal's side. RC Lens at least had the merit of having raised the bar in the engagement, and seemed capable of coming out of the second period without conceding a goal. But that was without counting the referee who whistled a penalty for a handball from Khusanov, until then author of an interesting entry. Jorginho, who also entered the game, increased the score by taking Samba on the wrong foot (6-0, 86th). A real rout for the Lensois, who were able to see the very high European level up close. It's up to them to get back up and grab 3rd place in the group and qualify for the Europa League on the last day, with the reception of Sevilla FC.
The Champions League group rankings
Man of the match: Jesus (7.5): from the outset, he was the decisive passer on his header to give Havertz his first goal in the UCL (13th, 1-0). It was he who also scored the break goal after having hooked - and brought down - Danso, at the penalty point (21st, 2-0). Too lively for the Lensoise hinge. He gave himself the right to win a few important heading duels (45th). He was a little greedy after returning from the locker room, the match being over. Gabriel Jesus was far too strong for Lens, he who had been good at Bollaert despite the defeat of the Gunenrs. Nketiah replaces him (83rd).
Arsenal:
- Raya (5): the Spaniard will not have been put to the test this evening. He repelled Wahi's vicious strike, the first from RC Lens (37th), before making a contentious exit on Medina (39th). He captures Fulgini's attempt, too axial (44th), and delivers some interesting long balls for his offensive friends to play. Nothing more to his credit, proof of the visitors' catastrophic match.
- Tomiyasu (7): established on the right side, he was omnipresent offensively to bother Haidara, who was overwhelmed. The Japanese knew how to continually bring danger. The Gunners' first action starts from him, on the head of Havertz (11th), the second also, and hits the mark, on his well-thought-out cross (13th, 1-0) which benefits the German. With success, he distilled a long reversal which ended at the feet of Martinelli, who scored in stride (27th, 4-0). Then, before the break, he repeated with a decisive pass to Odegaard who finished with a volley (45+1, 5-0). He had nothing to do in his camp. Excellent performance from him. He came out at the break (45th), replaced by White (5.5) , not uninteresting and almost scoring with a header from a corner (82nd).
- Saliba (5): the former Olympian spent a quiet evening at the Emirates, since his partners folded the match in less than 30 minutes. Lens did not exist in the first period and could only try from afar. He was clean in his restarts, as often, and did not suffer from the non-existent Lensois pressing. Not much to add.
- Gabriel (5.5): just like his central defense partner, the former Lille player observed his team in the utmost calm. He was not put in danger because the Lensois did not manage to approach the English area. He didn't even have to defend the depth despite the presence of Wahi and was comfortable on the restart. He came out, very high on the pitch to thwart the play of his opponents.
- Zinchenko (5): always as important in the construction of Arsenal's game, the Ukrainian often brought excess in the midfield by placing himself between the lines, without receiving many balls. He freed up space for Havertz, on the left side, and especially for Martinelli who enjoyed himself. He didn't force the key pass like he can sometimes and was rather lackluster. He settled for the minimum and that was enough. Kiwior (4) takes his place at half-time (45th). The Pole doesn't really show himself.
- Odegaard (5.5): not the most flamboyant player on the field but the Norwegian captain still scored a high-class goal. Before the break, he volleyed Tomiyasu's good cross to finish off Samba (45+1, 5-0). He generally made his team's play more fluid by minimizing his touches of the ball. It faded away little by little. He didn't force his talent, to tell the truth.
- Rice (6): as consistent as ever, the 24-year-old midfielder was very diligent, even when his team began to drop in intensity in the second period. Rice did not need to be in the oven and the mill this evening, as his team dominated the debates. He added intensity to the duel, like his calm intervention on Danso (63rd). He cut the passing lines by positioning himself between the Lensois and Wahi midfielders. He did not really participate in the offensive orgy but is not insignificant in the success of his team. He is acclaimed on his exit, Jorginho replaces him (75th), and scores from a penalty (86th, 6-0).
- Havertz (6.5): within a very successful team, the former Chelsea player did not do anything, finally. The German was even very active in the first period to destroy Lensois hopes, since it was he who opened the scoring for Arsenal with the tip of the spike, like a surface fox (13th, 1-0). He is the author of an important high recovery which will allow Martinelli to follow up with a shot, well followed by Saka (23rd, 3-0). He lost many balls but compensated with his runs, whether to gain meters or to press. A second period in which he slowed down a bit. He had fun with Khusanov at the corner post to add flavor to his good performance (67th). Things are getting better for Havertz.
- Saka (7): his agreement with Tomiyasu made the Sang et Or go crazy. He resisted pressure from Medina on several occasions, pushing him to make a mistake (19th), and was above all very opportunistic with his goal from the knee to kill the match (23rd, 3-0). He was very altruistic, too, demonstrating his decisive fixation before the break which gave rise to Tomiyasu's cross, then Odegaard's goal (45+1, 5-0). Little technical waste. A day at work for Saka, replaced by Nelson (66th).
- Jesus (7.5): see above .
- Martinelli (7): the Brazilian had fun on the left wing. Zinchenko left him free to come and tickle the Lens defense. Result, he was involved in Saka's lucky goal on his shot repelled by Samba (23rd, 3-0), then, in the process, he played Frankowski and deceived the RCL goalkeeper thanks to his perfectly wrapped attempt ( 27th, 4-0). He made the Frankowski-Gradit pair go through hell.
Lens:
- Samba (2.5): his uncertain kicks did not bode well at the start of the match. But ultimately, even his hands never had time to be heated in the heart of the London volcano. If he can hardly be blamed on the first two goals, where he was completely abandoned by his defense, he finds himself completely holed on the third with a hazardous return at the feet of Saka (24th). On the next two, he was shot and again abandoned by his defense. A save to avoid the 6-0 (67th), even if he ultimately had to concede from the penalty spot at the end of the match (85th).
- Frankowski (3): leader of his lane two months ago against these same Gunners, the Pole delivered a lackluster performance this evening. Not influential enough on his side, he also went through numerous gaps defensively, like Martinelli's goal (27th) where the Brazilian gave him migraines with his changes of pace. Four minutes earlier, his team had already paid dearly for its climb which had exposed Gradit against Martinelli (23rd). With the ball, his crosses never found a taker (50th, 60th). A nice return as a consolation prize for Havertz (58th).
- Gradit (2): often praised for his combativeness, his sense of self-sacrifice and a host of other qualities, the Artesian defender showed none of that this evening. Lax on Havertz's goal where he only notes the damage and forgets the German (14th), he is also lax on the second where he puts Saka back into play with a risky restart (21st). Two minutes later, he defended on his heels against Martinelli and gave him the opportunity to serve Saka for the third goal (23rd). He is the symbol of the Lensois crash this evening. Replaced by Khusanov (62nd) , author of a good comeback in front of Nelson (75th) and who showed a lot of enthusiasm and aggressiveness in the duels, sometimes to his loss since he conceded a penalty on an avoidable headline ( 85th). An obvious quality of recovery which nevertheless allowed him to create some gaps and an appreciable sense of anticipation (74th, 81st).
- Danso (2): on the Lensois plane, the Austrian deserted his pilot position. Established in the axis of the 3-man defense as usual, the former Southampton player went through the meeting on a slippery slope. On the Gunners' first goal, he is in the family photo and is dominated by Jesus in the air (13th). Also on the second where he throws himself far too naively in front of the Brazilian who leaves him on his butt (21st), before being late on the third (23rd). Often at the limit in his interventions. We will quickly have to put this performance in the box of bad memories.
- Medina (3): the best Lensois defender, or at least the least worst, it depends. If the first goals do not come from his side, he leaves a gaping space for Tomiyasu behind his back in the fifth (45+1). A brief burst of pride with this powerful strike on the post (40th), but far too insufficient when taking stock of his overall performance. Replaced by Machado (3) at the break. The Colombian contributed little to his lane and sometimes let himself be sucked in too naively, as with this acceleration from Nelson which led to a dangerous situation (75th).
- Haidara (2.5): a more than forgettable first start in the Champions League. If he was impactful in his first interventions (1st, 3rd, 6th), he also took part in the breakdown of his team. On London's second goal (21st), he is far too far from his opposite number and completely abandons Medina on the fifth (45+1st). The excitement also reflected on its rarely precise centers. Better after his repositioning in the 3-man defense at the break with well-felt bursts (52nd), but sometimes author of avoidable mistakes.
- Mendy (3): a buoyant start to the match with impact and personality with the ball, like his breakthrough in midfield (11th), but when the boat started to rock, he he also participated in the sinking. Like Abdul Samed, he was pierced too easily by Saka on the second goal (21st), and was completely lost on Odegaard's goal just before the break (45+1st). Absent from the debates in the second half, he was replaced by Pereira da Costa (76th) , who had nothing to eat.
- Abdul Samed (2.5): the Ghanaian never tuned the violins with Mendy in the middle. Guilty on the first goal with a misdirected header (13th), he must also be much more bloody on Saka's breakthrough leading to the second goal (21st). Often stuck in the opposing density, he was never able to create imbalance through passing or dribbling, serving most of the time as a warm-up. He lived a waking nightmare before being replaced by Elynaoui (4) at the break. Not used to continental games, the former Nancy player struggled to adapt to the frenetic pace set by the Gunners at the start. He was eliminated too easily by Havertz on the side (67th) before Samba finally saved the 6th goal. He sometimes did good on defensive set-pieces in the air.
- Sotoca (2): the experienced Lensois has never shown any technical affinity with his partners. Not influential enough on his team's play, he constantly put his head forward, which led to often questionable choices of shots or passes. In one of the rare artesian situations in the first period, he delivered a cross into the sky over London (36th). A topsy-turvy half-time which logically led to his exit. Replaced by Thomasson (4) at the break, who, as best he could, tried to bring something by placing himself between the lines. His creativity and technical quality have sometimes initiated Lensoise situations, like this strike from Wahi (90+2nd). He is not far from scoring at the end of the game but is ultimately too short on Frankowski's pass (90+3rd).
- Wahi (4): so quick to shed light on the meeting going to Bollaert, the former Montpellier man walked in the shadows this evening. With the ball, he often missed accuracy in his transmissions and gave the sensation of looking for himself in the passing circuits alongside Fulgini and Sotoca. A few brilliant shots in sequence, like his shot repelled by Raya in a tight angle (37th), or his dribble on Saliba which leads to a dangerous cross into the area (42nd). In the second half, he disappeared, while his team did not have a single shot on target.
- Fulgini (3): the former Angevin struggled to exist. At the start of the match, he was able to relieve his team under pressure with his technical quality, but disappeared like his teammates when the Gunners decided to move up the pace. Technical inaccuracies in the second half such as this long pass without a recipient (56th). He did not optimize the few balls he inherited in the opposing camp, losing most of them.