Lens boss Haise: Wahi 'a striker of great quality' | OneFootball

RC Lens coach Franck Haise was full of plaudits for young gun Elye Wahi, who bagged a goal and an assist as Les Sang et Or beat Arsenal 2-1 as Champions League football returned to the Stade Bollaert for the first time in 21 years on Tuesday.

Although Lens went a goal down to their illustrious visitors from across the ditch, Gabriel Jesus rifling home after just 14 minutes, Franck Haise's Lens - spurred on by a Stade Bollaert in a state of delirium and shored up by the excellent glovework of Brice Samba - hit back in spectacular fashion.

First when Adrien Thomasson latched onto Elye Wahi's instinctive, acrobatic pass and curled a devastating shot in at David Raya's far post (25') and then when Wahi - reportedly chastised by Haise for his attitude in the 1-0 win over Strasbourg last Friday, despite having scored the lone goal - capped an utterly redemptive performance with a deadly strike from Florian Sotoca's cut-back.

"When I said that he's making progress with every game, that's the reality," said a very pleased Franck Haise of his club's big summer signing from Montpellier. "There's always work to be done, as there is for all the players, but he arrived a month and a half ago and he's progressing in leaps and bounds. He scored the winning goal in Strasbourg and the winning goal tonight, so that shows that, beyond all the progress in his game, he is above all a striker of great quality."

Derby looms!

The result leaves Lens in an excellent position in Group B, their four points from a draw (away to Sevilla on Matchday 1) and Tuesday's win leaving them top with a one-point lead over Arsenal as they get set to do battle with Dutch giants PSV in Lens on Matchday 3 (24 October).

And now Wahi has goals in consecutive games - his first two of the season - look for him to kick on this weekend and set about matching his 19-goal haul from last season when Les Sang et Or play host to arch-rivals LOSC in the Derby du Nord on Sunday!

>> FIXTURES/RESULTS: Round 8