Lens beat Auxerre 5-2 as Thauvin nets penalty brace

Lens opened their Ligue 1 campaign with a convincing 5-2 victory over Auxerre at the Stade Bollaert. Florian Thauvin opened the scoring after twelve minutes and added a second penalty late on, while new signing Franjo Ivanovic also found the net.

Why the result matters

The win builds on the club’s runner‑up finish last season behind Paris Saint‑Germain and signals that manager Dino Toppmöller is off to a strong start. A solid opening performance puts Lens in early contention for European spots and adds pressure on the league leaders.

Match highlights

Defender Matthieu Udol summed up the mood after the game:

"The most important thing was to win, and to start the season well,"

adding that the result backs up the previous week’s triumph over PSG in the French Champions Trophy.

Auxerre fell behind when Arthur Piedfort handled the ball in the box, prompting Thauvin’s low‑driven penalty. Ten minutes later, defender Christ Massoko was shown a red card for a foul on Abdallah Sima, leaving the visitors a man down.

In the second half, Ivanovic scored on 49 minutes after a neat one‑two with Sima. Five minutes later Thauvin set up winger Saud Abdulhamid, who made it 3-0. Danny Namaso pulled one back for Auxerre with a penalty before the hour mark, but Ismael Ganiou restored a three‑goal cushion, and Lamine Sy added a consolation before Thauvin completed his brace.

Other Ligue 1 action

Elsewhere, newly promoted Le Mans drew 2-2 with Brest in their first top‑flight game since 2010, while Lyon beat Toulouse 2-0 ahead of a Champions League second leg. Marseille continued their unbeaten run with a 4-0 win over Strasbourg.

Looking ahead, Lens travel to face Paris Saint‑Germain next weekend, a fixture that could test whether their early surge is sustainable.