Lens battle back to claim point | OneFootball

Lens equalised twice against Saint-Etienne in a 2-2 draw with a great atmosphere in northern France. Elsewhere, new boys Clermont made it two wins from two and Reims drew 3-3 with Montpellier in a thriller.

THE MATCH

With the Stade Bollaert full for the first time in a decade, the home crowd were stunned as Wahbi Khazri gave Saint-Etienne the lead after only 19 seconds. Khazri controlled with his right foot and then finished with his left foot from a tight angle.

Lens equalised (36') when Jonathan Clauss crossed and Ignatius Ganago angled a header across the face of Etienne Green for a fine finish. The home crowd celebrated again (38') but the referee Amaury Delerue deflected Florian Sotoca's pass to Clauss and so the goal didn't stand.

Denis Bouanga (52') caught Lens cold at the start of the second half. Timothée Kolodziejczak played the ball down the line, and the Gabonese international cut past Christopher Wooh before beating Jean-Louis Leca. The Lens goalkeeper saved from Zaydou Youssouf (54') and then Bouanga (68') spurned a chance to extend Les Verts' lead.

Seko Fofana (77') scored Lens' second equaliser. Gaël Kakuta's lofted pass deflected Przemyslaw Fankowski's way and the Pole's cut-back was met first-time by the home captain. Green had to make two decent stops in added time to deny Fofana (90+1') and Cheikh Doucouré (90+3'). THE PLAYER: Seko Fofana

Fofana captains the side when Yannick Cahuzac doesn't play and the Ivorian international has taken his game to a new level this season, scoring in both of Lens' opening fixtures. With four goals in 2021, he's the club's joint-top scorer this calendar year, alongside Kakuta and Sotoca.

THE STAT: 6

Lens are winless in their last six Ligue 1 games (D4, L2), their longest run without a victory since their return to the top division.

CLERMONT 2-0 TROYES

Mohamed Bayo was the Clermont hero in their first-ever Ligue 1 home game. Last season's top scorer in Ligue 2 netted both Clermont goals in the battle of the promoted clubs. Both Bayo strikes came from superb Jason Berthomier corners (53' and 65') after Troyes' Issa Kaboré had been sent off just past the half-hour.

NANTES 2-0 METZ

Les Canaris are on song at the start of the new season. Randal Kolo Muani put the disappointment of France's failure at the Olympics behind him as he netted his first of the new campaign (11') and Moses Simon also set up the second Nantes goal (48') with Ludovic Blas powering home a header to leave Nantes on four points from two games.

REIMS 3-3 MONTPELLIER

Montpellier matches are full of excitement this season. Having lost 3-2 at home to Marseille in Round 1, Olivier Dall'Oglio's side were involved in another thriller in Champagne country. Nicolas Cozza (5'), Andy Delort (38') and Gaëtan Laborde (43') scored for the visitors, who twice let the lead slip as Moreto Cassama (7' and 26') scored a double and then sub Ilan Kebbal (83'), back from a season on loan at Dunkerque, netted his first Ligue 1 goal, before hitting the post in added time.

BREST 1-1 RENNES

Both goals were scored by substitutes as Serhou Guirassy stepped off the Rennes bench to give the visitors in the Brittany derby the lead (84') from a Birger Meling cross. Franck Honarat's crossing was a thorn in Rennes's side all afternoon and it was from an Honorat delivery that Jérémy Le Douaron (90+1') equalised.

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