Lyon kicked off their Ligue 1 campaign in battling fashion, grinding out a 1-0 victory at Lens to finally end a decade-long wait for an away win in this fixture.
For Lens manager Pierre Sage, dismissed by Lyon back in January, the clash carried extra weight.
He was eager to exact revenge on his former club, but instead saw his side fall short despite dominating stretches of the contest.
The visitors threatened first through Corentin Tolisso, whose sharp volley at the near post forced Robin Risser into an early save.
Lens replied swiftly as Deiver Machado latched onto a loose ball and rifled a shot narrowly wide of Remy Descamps’ upright.
Chances continued to flow at both ends, but it was Lyon who struck the decisive blow just before the interval.
Malick Fofana broke down the flank and picked out Georges Mikautadze, who calmly slotted home in stoppage time to hand Les Gones a crucial lead.
After the restart, Lens pushed hard for a response. Andy Diouf’s surging run ended with a deflected effort that Descamps managed to claw away, before Wesley Saïd spurned another opportunity under heavy pressure from Clinton Mata.
Despite the hosts’ momentum, Lyon looked dangerous on the counter. Fofana nearly doubled the advantage, testing Risser after Lens had a penalty claim dismissed by referee Romain Lissorgue.
In the closing stages, Sage’s men threw everything forward, but Lyon’s resilience held firm. The clean sheet not only sealed three valuable points but also extended their run of defensive success at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
For Lens, the defeat continues their unhappy trend on opening day, they’ve now failed to win 12 of their last 15 Ligue 1 curtain-raisers (D4, L8).
