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Lens suffered further misery following a defeat to Marseille at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, continuing a turbulent week that followed a record-breaking Champions League loss. Substitute Keyliane Abdallah secured all three points for Bruno Génésio’s side, pushing Marseille up to fourth in the Ligue 1 table.
A Disastrous Start and Growing Pressure at Lens
According to reporting by Sport | The Guardian, Lens endured a disastrous beginning to the match when a miscommunication between Jonathan Gradit and Samson Baidoo allowed Amine Gouiri to tap in the opening goal after just 82 seconds. Fans had unfurled a pre-match banner calling the players a “disgrace.” Florian Thauvin equalised for Lens with a close-range header against his former club, but Abdallah restored Marseille’s lead late in the game.
The defeat compounds a dismal period for Lens, who recorded the joint-heaviest defeat in Champions League history last week with a 9-1 thrashing by Como—also the heaviest home loss in the competition. Manager Yannick Cahuzac called the Como result a “humiliation,” while club president Joseph Oughourlian scrawled “never again” inside the dressing room. Cahuzac stepped up from his assistant role in September to replace Dino Toppmöller, who lasted just six games, drawing accusations of cronyism due to his friendship with sporting director Jean-Louis Leca.
After three league defeats, a winless Champions League run, a derby loss to Lille, and the record-breaking Como defeat, pressure is mounting on Cahuzac. Following the match against Marseille, players performed a lap of honor, to which fans responded with a banner reading: “Shame on you.” Cahuzac admitted after the match, “We are sick,” but stated that he “isn’t worried” about his job. Sporting director Leca has also faced fan backlash over summer signings and a criticized interview following the Como defeat.
Marseille’s Remarkable Turnaround
For Marseille, five consecutive league victories have propelled them from the relegation zone into the Champions League places. Génésio acknowledged that his squad’s revival exists on a knife’s edge, but recent results, including a win at Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, have brought optimism. The winning goal was scored by academy product Abdallah, who had recently been banished to the reserves following a performance against Le Havre before earning a reintegration.
Developments Elsewhere in Ligue 1
Monaco extended their winless run in Ligue 1 to five games following a 1-1 draw at Le Mans, dropping to seventh in the standings. Filipe Luís stated that his team needs to “cleanses the minds” over the international break after relying on a defensive blunder from Mamadou Coulibaly to open the scoring, before Le Mans equalized in the 90th minute through Erwan Colas.
Meanwhile, Nice continued their impressive turnaround under manager Olivier Pantaloni and sporting director Roger Ricort. Following a difficult 2025-26 campaign that nearly ended in relegation, a 2-0 victory at Angers means Nice have claimed 15 points from their last 18 available, moving the club into European contention.
