RC Lens came from behind twice, including with two goals in stoppage time, to beat Slavia Prague 3-2 away in Prague on Thursday, opening their Champions League campaign with a dramatic win.
Slavia took the lead in the 51st minute when Sturm found the net, even though the Czech side had been reduced to 10 men two minutes earlier. Slavia substitute Konecny, a young Czech defender who had just come on, was sent off in the 49th minute for a foul on Lens forward Abdallah Sima, who had raced clear of the defence.
Stoppage-time goals seal the comeback
Lens levelled in the 73rd minute through Sima, who reacted first to a rebound after a shot from Edouard was blocked, and beat goalkeeper Markovic. It was Lens's first goal of the season in the Champions League.
Slavia restored their lead in the 88th minute through a second goal from Sturm, after a poorly defended free kick. Goalkeeper Risser came out too late for the second ball, allowing Sturm to collect it and shoot from the edge of the box.
With five minutes of stoppage time added, Lens struck twice. Captain Florian Thauvin headed in an equaliser in the 92nd minute from a cross by Mesloub, a 16-year-old midfielder who had just come on and, in the words of the club's live blog, took charge of the game. Two minutes later, Aguilar scored the winner with a long-range shot that curled into the corner of the net. Slavia had one more chance to level, but a Sturm free kick in the 95th minute went narrowly over.
Wasted chances and a disallowed goal in the first half
The match was scoreless at halftime, despite Lens creating two clear chances to open the scoring. Slavia also had a goal ruled out in the 35th minute after the referee spotted a handball by Ayaosi in a duel with Lens defender Sagnan.
Lens defender Ganiou was involved in two notable moments late on. In the 84th minute he was sent flying in an aerial challenge and landed heavily on his neck, but he continued playing. Two minutes later, after Slavia had brought on the substitute Chory, a towering forward, Ganiou found himself one-on-one with Markovic after regaining possession in his own half, but the goalkeeper denied his attempt to slot the ball between his legs.
Thauvin praises his side's mentality
Speaking to Canal+ after the match, Thauvin said the team deserved credit for its mental strength. He said Lens were coming out of a difficult period and that responding the way they did would do them a lot of good, adding that this was how a team gets through a season.
Asked about his headed goal, Thauvin joked that football had shown him everything now. He said the team's attitude was to never give up, which meant they could score in any way, and praised the impact of the substitutes after a match full of swings in momentum, calling it a great source of satisfaction.
Lens end a long wait for an away win
The victory was Lens's first Champions League away win since a goal from Debève helped them beat Arsenal at Wembley in 1998.
Lens, coached by Dino Toppmöller, the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager who replaced Pierre Sage, made changes in the 75th minute, taking off Sima and Haidara for Sotoca and Kadile before Mesloub's introduction helped turn the game. Slavia Prague are the reigning back-to-back Czech champions and had started their domestic season in late July, sitting top of the table with five wins from seven matches going into the game. Lens, by contrast, had lost 0-1 at home to Lorient the previous weekend.
Lens were the third French club to begin their Champions League campaign this week, following Lille on Tuesday and Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
Other results on matchday one
Elsewhere on Thursday, Bayern Munich beat Bodo/Glimt 5-0, Como beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on their competition debut, and Manchester United beat Sabah FC 4-0.
