English
EspañolLigue 1 McDonald’s, Matchday 24, 27/02/26
Lens have been held to an away draw against Strasbourg to kick off Ligue 1’s Matchday 24. Mamadou Sangaré cancelled out Joaquin Panichelli’s opener. The Artois side misses the chance to provisionally go top of the Ligue 1 standings.
The Match
On the back of their remarkable home win against Lyon, Gary O’Neil’s Strasbourg hosted another Ligue 1 household name in second-placed RC Lens. The visitors started on the front foot with their brand of high-octane fast press and high line. Joaquin Panichelli failed to beat Robin Risser, whose foot save denied the Argentine. But the latter won’t be denied twice.
Minutes after Strasbourg fans halted their 15-minute strike, Panichelli pounced on a big mistake from Ismaëlo Ganiou to go face-to-face again with Risser. This time, the centre-forward opted to chip the France U21 international goalkeeper and beautifully found the back of the net with a single touch.
Strasbourg’s goal opened up the game, and Lens pursued their efforts. But they were let down by their final touch with Odsonne Edouard squandering a handful of big chances. It should be noted that the Artois sive could have had a penalty after Guéla Doué tripped Saud Abdulhamid in Mike Penders’ box.
Lens continued to dominate possession, but their wastefulness remained the sticking point. They register their first shot on target thanks to a tame Wesley Saïd header, before a couple of missed chances from Florian Thauvin.
Lens finally broke Strasbourg’s resistance with a stunner from Mamadou Sangaré, who half-volleyed a cleared corner from outside the penalty box off Mike Penders’ right post and in. For the first time this Ligue 1 season, Lens equalised after they had conceded the opener.
Strasbourg thought they had been gifted the chance to restore their lead as Panichelli was tripped by Malang Sarr in the penalty box. Clément Turpin pointed to the spot, but he overturned his decision after adjuging that the Argentine initiated contact with the former Chelsea man, and not the other way around.
In the end, neither side quite deserved to come away as winners at the end of a tepid game between two of the best Ligue 1 sides this year.
Strasbourg player ratings
Mike Penders – 5
Abdoul Ouattara – 4
Ismaël Doukouré – 4
Andrew Omobamidele – 5
Guéla Doué – 5
Diego Moreira – 5
Samir El-Mourabet – 6
Valentin Barco – 6
The Argentine midfielder embodied Strasbourg’s intensity at the heart of the field. The former Brighton man offers a rare blend of physicality, leadership and technic that made him one of Ligue 1’s very best midfielders.
Julio Enciso – 4
Martial Godo – 3
The former Fulham FC winger was Strasbourg’s in-form man since the turn of the year. But tonight, he was completely off, made little to no difference and was logically hooked by O’Neil midway into the second half.
Joaquin Panichelli – 6
The Argentine centre-forward often scores against the best Ligue 1 teams, and he made no exception with second-placed Lens. The former Mirandes striker beautifully chipped Risser to go level with Marseille’s Mason Greenwood at the top of Ligue 1’s goalscoring charts.
Lens player ratings
Robin Risser – 6
Malang Sarr – 6
Ismaelo Ganiou – 3
The centre-back will not escape the blame for Joaquin Panichelli’s opener that he gift-wrapped with a poor back-pass to Risser.
Nidar Celik – 5
Matthieu Udol – 6
Adrien Thomasson – 5
Mamadou Sangaré – 6
Saud Abdulhamid – 4
Wesley Saïd – 6
Odsonne Edouard – 4
The former Crystal Palace centre-forward was all too wasteful and should have had at least one goal to his name tonight. He was the first Lens player to be recalled to the bench by Pierre Sage.
Florian Thauvin – 4
The France international looks far from the mercurial and decisive winger Lens could rely on in the first half of the season. His final touch let him down and he seems to suffer the toll of a full season as a 33-year-old nailed-on starter
GFFN | Bastien Cheval and Luke Entwistle – reporting from Strasbourg