PLAYER RATINGS | Lens 5-1 Angers: Les Sang et Or return to top of Ligue 1 in rout | OneFootball

Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Round 27, 20/03/2026

RC Lens would provisionally return to the top of the Ligue 1 table in style (at least until Paris Saint-Germain travel to OGC Nice) with a 5-1 rout of Angers SCO.

The Match

For two teams that pride themselves on their defensive efforts, this was a remarkably open game. Angers looked the more threatening in the opening exchanges, with Amine Sbaï coming closest for the visitors, when he tested Robin Risser’s reflexes with a bouncing low shot that forced the goalkeeper into an acrobatic save. 

Every time Angers were allowed to break, they looked dangerous, but it was Lens that would take this game by the scruff of the neck. Matthieu Udol stunned the Angers defence with a quick throw close to the byline. The ball was bounced around by Florian Sotoca and Saud Abdulhamid before Florian Thauvin plucked the ball out of the air with a neat finish to open the scoring. 

Angers were caught napping again close to their goal when Ousmane Camara was pressed into a loose pass. The ball was picked up by Thauvin on the edge of the box, where it was passed on to Odsonne Édouard. The striker had missed from close range minutes before, but wouldn’t waste the second chance as he bobbled the ball past Oumar Pona for the second of the evening. 

Mamadou Sangaré would make it three before the end of the first half. The midfielder had been denied before by Pona from distance, and like Édouard, he wouldn’t be denied a second time. He only needed one touch to set himself before firing from around 25 yards, before curling his effort home. 

Angers’ misery would continue into the second half when, minutes after the restart, Lens continued their rout. Thauvin again played the creator, as he orchestrated from deep, splitting the defence as he slipped past for Édouard to attack. The striker strode into the box before sliding his shot into the back of the net. 

Lens would give away their clean sheet when Risser attempted to play out from the back. His pass was poorly chosen and allowed Angers to apply pressure. The visitors won possession high and transitioned it wide to Lilian Raolisoa. The fullback pinged his cross into the box for Lanroy Machine to finish on his first start for the club. 

The night was far from over, and Lens made it five. Udol, overlooked this week from the France set-up, showed Didier Deschamps what he’s missing when he acrobatically volleyed home Abdallah Sima’s cross. 

Lens Player Ratings

Robin Risser, 6

It really can’t be stressed enough that Lens looked fragile in defence during the first half. However, when Angers pierced the veil and fired at the goal, Risser was there as the last line. He made two impressive saves to deny Sbaï. However, he was then at fault for Angers’s goal when he hit a terrible pass out from the back. A blemish on what had been a good performance. 

Malang Sarr, 7

Ismaëlo Ganiou, 5

Nidal Čelik, 5

Matthieu Udol, 8

Mamadou Sangaré, 8

A brilliant half from the midfielder. He was excellent on the ball, providing this threat from deep. He was taken off during the half-time break. There was no obvious reason, as it didn’t look like he had taken a knock, so perhaps a decision to rest the Mali international while they held such a commanding lead. Replaced by Andrija Bulatović (5)

Adrien Thomasson, 6

Saud Abdulhamid, 5

Florian Sotoca, 6

Odsonne Édouard, 8

Florian Thauvin, 8

After opening the scoring, Thauvin spent the rest of the evening playing creator as he assisted both of Édouard’s goals. It was an evening where he showed exactly why he has become the de facto leader of this impressive squad. 

Selected Angers Player Ratings

Oumar Pona, 3

The 19-year-old was only between the sticks because Hervé Koffi couldn’t be selected against his parent club. The teenager had a night to forget. He made a couple of interventions, most crucially a save to deny Sangaré, but he was far too easily beaten and certainly not helped by a defence that succumbed endlessly to collapse. 

Ousmane Camara, 2

Jordan Lefort, 2

Louis Mouton, 3

Amine Sbaï, 5

Lanroy Machine, 5

GFFN | Nick Hartland