Odsonne Édouard heads Lens past Nice as hard work adds new dimension | OneFootball

Odsonne Édouard struck two headers in Lens’s 2-0 win over Nice, a reward for months spent improving his aerial game. He devoted hours to it last season during a barren loan at Leicester.

According to L'Équipe, the forward could also have joined Nice in the summer before arriving from Crystal Palace for €3.7m. His brace accounted for the club’s seventh and eighth headed goals of the season, the highest in Ligue 1. He is on three himself, including one against Paris FC on 19 October.

Édouard had not scored a header since October 2022, when Crystal Palace beat Leeds 2-1, before his move to Lens. On Sunday he produced two very different finishes.

Head coach Pierre Sage felt the first, a deftly guided effort from a fine cross, carried only 0.06 xG and highlighted his technique, while the second owed plenty to desire that turned a half-chance into a goal.

Both assists came from Matthieu Udol, who has five in the past six matchdays, and he praised Édouard’s finishing and their growing understanding. Édouard said he anticipated Udol’s delivery for the opener, got across his defender and powered the header, then made another smart run for the second.

Now Lens’s top scorer this season with seven, matching his best return in a top-five league, seven in 2023-2024 with Crystal Palace, Édouard said he intends to be even sharper after the festive period.

Source: L'Équipe