Lens 2 - Lille 0. This score is not that of the round of 16 of the Coupe de France in Bollaert but it will be enough for some supporters to rank the 2021-2022 season of Racing Club de Lens among the most successful exercises.
The Sangs et Or won their place in the round of 16 on Tuesday evening by eliminating their regional rival on penalties in a sensational outcome (2-2, 4-3 tab).
Their second victory of the season in the Northern Derby.
And to think that only 5000 people were able to attend these incredible ten minutes.
We first played the 95th minute, there was only one left, when Seko Fofana, the man who chose to give up the CAN with Côte d'Ivoire to keep his captain's armband of the Sang et Or , offered a penalty shoot-out for his team.
Then at 11:08 p.m., Fofana had to share his status of evening hero with Wuilker Faríñez thanks to a decisive save against Renato Sanches.
A miracle signed by Seko Fofana
For more than an hour, this part had seemed to confirm the states of form displayed before the holiday season. On the one hand, a player Lens, ready to pack this meeting from the kick-off but too messy with the ball at the foot and dangerous for himself defensively. On the other hand, a compact, opportunistic and clinical Losc like the double of Amadou Onana (29th, 33rd) came to improve the opponent's air gap.
Much to the delight of the 4,000 subscribers of the Marek stand, the only subscribers entitled to participate in the Derby (and to squeeze into one and the same stand), the Derby turned around at about the same time in the second act. Fofana closed the gap with the end of the sole in the 67th minute. Before that, the Northerners had harvested a lot of opportunity to lead 3-0 with Gudmundsson twice. They then missed the 3-1 with the post of Yazici (84th). What regrets for the Northerners, deprived of many executives including Burak Yilmaz, Jonathan David and Benjamin André.
" It's enormous.
We knew we had a good first half.
We have not lost confidence and this second half is a good start to our year.
Like our club and our mentality, we pulled off the shots on goal.
Here we go, ”savored the Lensois side Jonathan Clauss at the Eurosport microphone.
The Sang et Or will host AS Monaco in the next round.
Why not continue to dream of a first coronation in the Coupe de France.
Because yes, a historical anomaly, this bastion of the tricolor round ball has never lifted the emblematic trophy of popular football.