Troyes 1-3 Lens: a fifth straight league defeat, with Thauvin setting up two
An own goal from Adrien Monfray and a Timothé Nkada equaliser were wiped out by two Florian Thauvin assists either side of half-time, Odsonne Édouard and Ruben Aguilar scoring as Lens won 3-1 at the Stade de l'Aube.
Troyes's miserable start to life back in Ligue 1 got worse on Saturday. Adrien Monfray turned Lens's opener into his own net after 13 minutes, Timothé Nkada hauled the hosts level midway through the first half, but two goals either side of the interval — both set up by Florian Thauvin — put Lens back in front for good. Lens won 3-1 at the Stade de l'Aube, and a fifth straight Ligue 1 defeat leaves Troyes with the division's worst goal difference.
A brief leveller
Troyes's response to the early own goal was immediate: Timothé Nkada equalised in the 26th minute, and for almost 20 minutes a newly promoted side holding a point at home to a team with European ambitions looked plausible. It did not survive first-half stoppage time.
Thauvin provides twice
Odsonne Édouard converted a Thauvin cross two minutes into stoppage time at the end of the first half, and Ruben Aguilar headed in a second Thauvin assist ten minutes into the second to make it 3-1. Two goals from two deliveries, either side of the break, undid the ground Troyes had made up with Nkada's equaliser.
| Stat | Troyes | Lens |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 41.2% | 58.8% |
| Shots on target | 5 | 3 |
| Pass accuracy | 304 (82%) | 451 (84%) |
| Corners | 6 | 4 |
| Fouls conceded | 13 | 11 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 2 |
A fifth defeat in a row
The result extends a losing streak that stretches back to a 2-6 home defeat to Strasbourg in early September — Troyes have now lost to Strasbourg, Lille, Angers, Marseille and Lens without winning any of those five matches, conceding 15 goals across that run. They stay bottom-but-one on 4 points from seven matches, with a goal difference of -11 that is the worst in Ligue 1.
Lens move into the top half
Lens arrived at the Stade de l'Aube three days after a 2-0 Champions League defeat at home to Sporting CP, and used five substitutes during the game, including Amadou Haidara and Franjo Ivanovic. The win takes them to 7th in Ligue 1 on 10 points, with Thauvin's two assists the standout individual contribution of matchday 7 so far.
- 13' — Adrien Monfray (Troyes), own goal
- 26' — Timothé Nkada (Troyes)
- 45+2' — Odsonne Édouard (Lens), assisted by Florian Thauvin
- 55' — Ruben Aguilar (Lens), header assisted by Florian Thauvin
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