Lens hammer Auxerre thanks to Thauvin penalty double
PARIS: Lens captain Florian Thauvin scored two penalties as Lens thumped Auxerre 5-2 in their first game of the French Ligue 1 season on Saturday.
Lens captain Florian Thauvin netted two penalties as the team defeated Auxerre 5-2 in their opening French Ligue 1 season match on Saturday. The penalty goals came after the break, with Thauvin showcasing his skills in front of a packed Stade Bollaert crowd. Earlier in the game, Auxerre's Christ Massoko received a red card for fouling Lens attacker Abdallah Sima in the first half.
Thauvin opened the scoring shortly after the 12-minute mark, after Belgian midfielder Arthur Piedfort handled the ball in the host's penalty area. Lens's dominance continued after the restart, with new signing Franjo Ivanovic scoring for Les Sang et Or on 49 minutes. The Croatia player set up Saud Abdulhamid, who then assisted Thauvin in setting up Abdulhamid before Danny Namaso scored a penalty of his own moments before halftime.
Lens extended their lead with defender Ismael Ganiou re-establishing a three-goal cushion with 24 minutes remaining, and Lamine Sy scoring a consolation goal for Auxerre. Thauvin capitalized on another penalty opportunity two minutes from time to add his second penalty of the match.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
