Lens vs. Olympique Lyon

Les Gones took an early lead through Sidney Govou but had to see off significant pressure from their opponents before Kim Kallstrom's fine goal quarter of an hour from time finally killed the match.

OL settled quicker in the match and took the lead with the first meaningful attack of the match. Lyon had knocked the ball about slickly and moved purposefully in the opening five stages, and their strong beginning was rewarded by Govou, whose fine shot clipped the underside of the bar and bounced over the line to give the visitors an early confidence boost.

Despite this early set-back, Lens would more than compete with les Gones in the first period, and the home side would carve out the best chances of the half. They were tentative early, with a hopeful long range drive from Kanga Akale doing little to unsettle Hugo Lloris, but Eduardo was causing problems with his pace, playing dangerously off the shoulder of the last defender.

It was the Brazilian who had the hosts’ first clear sight of goal, but his shot from a tight angle was relatively easily blocked by the French international goalkeeper. Yohan Demont had a couple of cracks from distance that caused brief moments of worry for OL, but his big moment would arrive on 33 minutes, when Reveillere was punished for a handball in the box.

Lens picked up the tempo further after a great chance and would again breach the home rearguard.

Issam Jemaa had not been a prominent figure in the first period, but he would have Lens’ two best chances from open play. The first he would feebly strike at goal with the outside of his left boot when in space in the box, and the second, a slightly harder chance created by the lively Eduardo, would be struck straight at Lloris.

Neither side showed too much in the early stages of the second half. Lens enjoyed a strong share of possession, but they were constantly repulsed 30 meters from goal by a rigorous home defence. Meanwhile, Lyon had just Bafetimbi Gomis in attack, and though he worked immensely hard, he was left badly isolated and could make little impression in the home rearguard.

When Lyon broke, they looked threatening. A terrific switch of play just after the hour match presented Kim Kallstrom with just a little room on the left corner of the box. It was debatable whether the Swede was crossing or shooting, but his bending effort only narrowly cleared the crossbar, skimming the roof of the net as it dipped over.

By this stage, Lens’ domination of territory was largely complete, but Lyon’s packed defence was impressively obstinate. With Lens safely at an arm’s length, the best the visiting side could muster was a hopeful drive from distance from Demont that floated harmlessly and predictably wide.

Despite Lens’ monopolization of matters, Lyon would strike a scarcely deserved second, though it showcased the kind of quality boasted by the Champions League hopefuls. A smooth attack found Kallstrom 30-yards from goal, and after steadying himself, the Swede unleashed an unerring low drive that beat Vedran Runje and nestled right in the bottom corner of the net, clipping the post as on its way.

The goal was just reward for another tremendous match for the in-form midfielder, and it also killed off any hope that Lens might have boasted going into the final minutes of the match. Indeed, immediately it became clear that the verve had gone from Lens’ play.