Still the same story? Defensive solidity, a lack of realism up front and four draws in a row including two consecutive scoreless goals at Bollaert: RC Lens gives the impression of not really progressing. However, this Saturday’s 0-0 against Nice, the fourth “big” faced in four matches, after Monaco, Lyon, and Rennes, is both a good result but also that of a good match, where a lot of things happened.
With fourteen shots, eleven chances, 33 balls hit in the area, the highest total in the first half in Ligue 1 since 2016, the Sang et Or could – should – have scored at least one or two goals before half-time which would have obviously changed the face of the second period, where they still had 8 additional strikes including a header from Abdulkodir Khusanov taken off the line by the ex-artesian piston Jonathan Clauss (90e+1). « There is frustration recognizes the coach, Will Still, because it is undoubtedly, in the first half, the best content offered so far with quite striking domination. »
Samba – Bulka, top goalkeepers
For around thirty minutes of crazy intensity, his players pressed high and hard, constantly playing forward. Unable to break out of the embrace, the Niçois took waves. But Mbala Nzola smashed the post (10e) and above all Marcin Bulka pulled out all the stops. The Nice goalkeeper first ruled out a point-blank rebound from Wesley Saïd (12e) before perfectly reading a cross from Przemyslaw Frankowski (35e). He was again impressive in the duel against Rémy Labeau-Lascary (70e). Six saves in total which explain, at least in part, that Lens did not score, even if this team is still missing, for the moment, a scorer and real efficiency in the last gesture and face-to-face matches.
But Racing shows it in every match, it also has almost foolproof armor, including when it still has to finish with ten men, after the expulsion of Anass Zaroury. While his game exposes him, he has only conceded two goals in six days, and on set pieces. A collective performance, driven by an astonishingly authoritative Khusanov at 20 years old and by Brice Samba, who has recorded 90.5% saves since the start of the season! Against Nice, the international goalkeeper added four to his credit, the first to avoid a hold-up when Lens stifled Nice (28eagainst Bouanani), the others in a second period where Lens suffered against more aggressive Nice (82e88e). With this base, nothing to be worried about, but also not really enough to really situate the RC Lens.
