PLAYER RATINGS | Monaco 1-4 Lens: Folarin Balogun sent off as Monégasques slump to back-to-back Ligue 1 defeats | OneFootball

Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Matchday 12, 08/11/25

RC Lens demolished 10-man AS Monaco to provisionally move second in Ligue 1 (1-4), behind leaders Olympique de Marseille only on goal difference. 

The Match

It isn’t even December, but Monaco were given a very early gift when in the third minute. Aleksandr Golovin was allowed to bear down on goal, with Lens senselessly committing all outfield players to a corner. Golovin had all the time to decide how to beat Robin Risser, perhaps too much time. In any case, the decision or at least the execution of it was all wrong as Risser gratefully gathered when the Russian attempted to dribble around him.

Les Monégasques would have another glorious sight of goal just three minutes later. It was Golovin, looking to amend for his error, who found Folarin Balgoun, but the former USMNT forward’s touch didn’t get it out of his feet, and his shot lacked power or direction. Again, Risser gathered. 

Then it was Lens’ turn to go close. Odsonne Édouard rose above his marker and thundered a header off the inside of the post. Philipp Kohn didn’t know much about it, but he gathered on the second occasion. 

He wouldn’t deny the former Crystal Palace forward a second time. Thilo Kehrer misplaced his pass out from the back, Florian Thauvin jumped in, fed Adrien Thomasson, who couldn’t beat Kohn, but when the ball fell to Édouard on the rebound, he was never going to miss.

Monaco did get on the scoreline. Balogun jumped in front of Mamadou Sangaré, taking the foul, stepping up and finishing the penalty himself. But parity would not be restored for long. There was consistently space to exploit down the right of the Monaco defence and Wesley Said made a piercing run into that space before finishing at Kohn’s near post. 

Fati misses late penalty for Monaco

It went from bad to worse for the Principality club. On the stroke of half-time, Balogun went in on Sangaré, catching the Lens midfielder on the side of the boot. The straight red card was harsh, but not overturned. And seconds later, the deficit was doubled. Monaco had hardly had the time to reset, Sangaré barely off the ground before the latter sprinted through the home side’s defence and netted Lens’ third. 

A fourth came on the hour mark and it was Said again, flicking in a header at the near post; that was the ninth goal that Lens have scored from a corner this season. There could have been more for Pierre Sage’s men. Matthieu Udol saw a half-volley headed off the line by the recovering Mohammed Salisu; and Rayan Fofana squandered two glorious chances, the first of which was a first-time effort from around the penalty spot, which he blasted over. 

Monaco missed the chance to net an injury-time consolation. Andrija Bulatovic was harshly penalised for a handball, but it was inconsequential for Lens, as Risser intervened once again, saving from Ansu Fati, who couldn’t put home the simplest of rebounds. It is the second defeat of the Sébastien Pocognoli era and the second league defeat on the bounce. The gap to the likes of Marseille – and of course Lens – grows.

Monaco player ratings

Philipp Kohn – 3

Caio Henrique – 5

Mohammed Salisu – 3

Thilo Kehrer – 2

One half of the Teze-Thilo tandem that saw this game slip away from Monaco. There were acres between these two at times and Lens kept exploiting them. It was Kehrer’s ball that set up Lens’ first on a tee and the next two both came in the spaces that Kehrer and Teze had vacated. The Germany international has been in good form this season, but certainly not tonight. 

Kassoum Ouattara – 3

Mamadou Coulibaly – 4

Aleksandr Golovin – 4

The Russian missed that glorious chance in the opening minutes, a sliding doors moment in the game. Incapable of making up for his error, he nonetheless was valuable in build-up and played some excellent passes thereafter, before being hooked at half-time for Lucas Michal (4)

Jordan Teze – 2

Maghnes Akliouche – 4

Folarin Balogun – 5

It was his red card that saw the game turn definitively in Lens’ favour. He is now blameless, but the red card was extremely harsh and it was his instincts and finish from the spot that initially gave Monaco a route back in. 

Mika Biereth – 3

Selected Lens player ratings

Florian Thauvin – 8

He showed once again why he is back in contention at national team level. He brings so much energy to the front line and capable of repetitively eliminating his opponent. He did just that in the first half. But it is his delivery, too. There is a reason why Les Sang et Or have netted nine goals from corners so far this season. Two assists on the night, and it should have been more. 

Odsonne Édouard – 7

Wesley Said – 8

Robin Risser – 8

Two of his interventions bookended this spectacular Lens win. He denied Golovin in the third minute and then stopped Fati’s penalty in stoppage time. Without him, the match would have been very different. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Monaco