RC Lens head coach Dino Toppmöller enjoyed a winning start to his Ligue 1 campaign as his side secured a thrilling 5-2 victory over 10-man AJ Auxerre, recording their eighth home top-flight win in 10 outings in 2026 (L2).
Fresh from their Trophée des Champions success, Lens had another reason to celebrate in the 12th minute when captain Florian Thauvin calmly converted a one-step penalty after Auxerre’s record signing Arthur Piedfort was penalised for an unnecessary handball.
Lens’ advantage grew further when another Auxerre debutant, Christ Makosso, was sent off for a cynical foul on Abdallah Sima as the attacker looked set to enter the penalty area. The two costly mistakes from Auxerre’s summer signings left former Lens boss Will Still facing a difficult half-time team talk in his first competitive match in charge of Les Ajaïstes.
Whatever Still told his players could not prevent Lens from extending their advantage with two goals in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Franjo Ivanović first combined neatly with Sima before holding off his marker and placing a low effort beyond Diop.
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The Benfica loanee then played a key role in Lens’ third goal, splitting the Auxerre defence with a perfectly weighted pass for Thauvin, who lifted the ball for Saud Abdulhamid to head home. The goal was initially ruled out for offside but was eventually awarded.
With the three points seemingly secured, Lens became complacent, and Auxerre scored twice during an eight-minute spell that produced three goals. Danny Namaso reduced the deficit from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the box, before Ismaëlo Ganiou prodded home following a pass from substitute Michał Skóraś.
Auxerre then completed the remarkable comeback attempt when substitute Rayan Mandengue supplied a precise assist for Lamine Sy to slide the ball home.
However, any hopes of an Auxerre revival were ended when Thauvin scored his second goal and the match’s third penalty. The Lens captain drilled the retaken spot-kick into the bottom corner after Diop had moved off his line while saving the initial attempt.
Thauvin’s brace completed an emphatic Lens victory, with Les Sang et Or scoring five or more goals in a head-to-head league fixture for the first time in 21 years.
