Lens’ Séko Fofana after 3-1 loss to PSG: “They were afraid of us.” | OneFootball

Second-placed Lens were beaten 3-1 by league leaders PSG in a season-defining showdown at the top of the Ligue 1 standings on Saturday night. Les Parisiens have now gone nine points clear at the top. Goals from Kylian Mbappé, Vitinha and Lionel Messi have all but ensured the Christophe Galtier-led side a record 11th League title

The game’s turning point came at the 19th minute when Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed saw red for a clumsy challenge on Achraf Hakimi. However, Lens can hold their heads high after putting on a brave performance at the Parc des Princes, as they pushed ahead in the second half despite being down to ten.

Even with a man down, the visitors were the most threatening of the two sides. Speaking to Canal+, Ivory Coast international and Lens skipper Seko Fofana acknowledged that Abdul Samed’s red card was deserved. “What matters is that we kept playing with character, we were rewarded and also got several goal-scoring opportunities.” Fofana added that he was proud of his side’s performance. The former Manchester City and Udinese player also took a dig at PSG, after the injured club captain Presnel Kimpembe led the chants at the end of the game with Lens’ usual “On les a chicotés” (We rattled them) victory chant. “They were afraid of us. Singing ‘Chicotés’ at the end, that’s not their song. That’s ours, and that means a lot. Those little details showed they were afraid of us.“

Fofana, one of Ligue 1’s finest box-to-box midfielders, assessed that more teams in the French top-flight should play like Lens when facing PSG at the Parc des Princes. “We are the 11th richest club in the league. Our goal is not to go there and stare at them. We showed the way at the start of the season when we beat them. I encourage every team going here to play with character and leave the pitch with no regrets.” Lens will now turn their focus towards keeping second place and qualifying for next season’s Champions League. They will host Monaco next week.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval