Lens Beat Auxerre 5-2 in Ligue 1 Opener as Thauvin Brace Lifts Sang-et-Or to Second in Standings

RC Lens opened the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season with a 5-2 home victory over AJ Auxerre at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Captain Florian Thauvin scored twice from the penalty spot and set up another goal, and the result lifted Racing Club de Lens into second place in the early Ligue 1 standings — one point behind Olympique de Marseille on goal difference after Matchday 1.

The win extended a strong run at Bollaert for Dino Toppmöller’s side, who arrived fresh from lifting the Trophée des Champions against Paris Saint-Germain six days earlier.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reporting from Reuters, beIN SPORTS, Flashscore, and AP-syndicated coverage, August 22, 2026. Scorers, the final score, and early standings context reflect the completed Ligue 1 opener in Lens.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	Ligue 1, Matchday 1
Date	Saturday, August 22, 2026
Venue	Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens
Final score	RC Lens 5–2 AJ Auxerre
Lens manager	Dino Toppmöller (first Ligue 1 match)
Auxerre manager	Will Still (first competitive match)

Goal scorers

Scorer	Minute	Notes
Florian Thauvin (pen)	12’	After Arthur Piedfort handball
Franjo Ivanovic	46’	First Ligue 1 goal for Lens; assisted by Abdallah Sima
Saud Abdulhamid	~52’	Header; Thauvin assist; goal confirmed after VAR review
Danny Namaso (pen)	~58’	Auxerre’s first reply
Ismaëlo Ganiou	~66’	Assisted by substitute Michał Skóras
Lamine Sy	~70’	Assisted by substitute Rayan Mandengue
Florian Thauvin (pen)	88’	Retaken after Yehvann Diop saved the first attempt off his line

Discipline

Player	Minute	Event
Christ Makosso (Auxerre)	35’	Straight red for last-man foul on Abdallah Sima

How the game unfolded

Thauvin strikes early; Makosso sees red

Lens took control inside the opening quarter-hour when Piedfort, Auxerre’s record summer signing, was penalised for handling inside the box. Thauvin converted calmly from 12 yards to give the hosts an early lead in front of a packed Bollaert crowd.

Auxerre’s task grew harder in the 35th minute when debutant Makosso was sent off for a cynical last-man challenge on Sima as the Senegalese forward bore down on goal. The dismissal left Will Still’s side to chase the game with 10 men for more than an hour — a punishing ask against a Lens attack riding momentum from last week’s Super Cup triumph.

The visitors held the score at 1-0 through halftime, but the balance of play already tilted toward the Sang-et-Or.

Four goals after the break — and a late Auxerre rally

Whatever Still said at the interval could not slow Lens after the restart. Ivanovic, on loan from Benfica, doubled the lead within a minute of the second half, exchanging passes with Sima before slotting a low finish past Diop.

Lens added a third shortly afterward when Thauvin found space on the left and stood up a cross for Abdulhamid to head home. The goal was initially ruled out for offside before VAR confirmed the Saudi full-back was onside, sending the home stands into celebration again.

Auxerre briefly threatened a comeback. Namaso converted from the spot after being tripped in the box, and within eight frantic minutes the visitors scored twice more through Ganiou and Sy — the latter finishing after a precise square ball from substitute Mandengue.

Lens, however, had the final word. Thauvin was awarded a second penalty in the closing stages; Diop saved the first attempt but had stepped off his line, and on the retake the Lens captain drilled into the bottom corner to seal a 5-2 scoreline that was Lens’s biggest league win over Auxerre in 21 years.

Early Ligue 1 standings

With Matchday 1 results beginning to settle, French supporters searching for the Racing Club de Lens standings after opening weekend action will find the Sang-et-Or alone in second place on three points.

Early standings (partial)	Pts	GD
Olympique de Marseille	3	+4
RC Lens	3	+3
Olympique Lyonnais	3	+2
AJ Auxerre	0	−3

Marseille remain atop the table after their 4-0 win over Strasbourg on Friday, August 21, thanks to a superior goal difference. Lens sit directly behind OM — level on points but one goal short on differential after a seven-goal thriller in the north.

For AJ Auxerre, the opening night was a harsh return to top-flight action: two debutant errors (Piedfort’s handball, Makosso’s red card), three penalties conceded, and a three-goal deficit that leaves them in the relegation zone pending further results.

Thauvin leads from the front

At 33, Thauvin remains the focal point of Toppmöller’s Lens. The 2018 World Cup winner delivered two penalties, one assist, and the kind of match-defining presence that justified a Sofascore player rating above 9.0 in post-match data.

His influence bookended the contest — opening the scoring before halftime and closing it with a retaken spot-kick — while Ivanovic and Abdulhamid offered evidence that Lens’s attack has depth beyond its captain. Sima was involved in both the red-card incident and the build-up to Ivanovic’s goal, underlining his role as the primary outlet in transition.

Toppmöller, who replaced Pierre Sage this summer, has now won his first competitive Ligue 1 fixture after guiding Lens to the Trophée des Champions in his second week in charge. Back-to-back statement results suggest the Sang-et-Or intend to challenge again after finishing second to PSG last season.

What comes next

Lens travel to face their next league opponent with confidence and early-table momentum, while Auxerre must regroup without Makosso and address defensive discipline before their next fixture. Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, and Monaco — all yet to play on Matchday 1 — will reshape the standings picture once the full opening round is complete.

For now, August 22 belongs to Lens: five goals, a captain’s brace, and a place in the top two of France’s early Ligue 1 table.

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Discussion

Lens delivered goals, drama, and a standings boost on opening night — but a three-goal cushion nearly vanished in eight minutes.

1. Thauvin scored twice and created the third goal. After his Trophée des Champions winner against PSG, is he already the player Lens cannot afford to lose this season?

The captain has directly shaped both of Toppmöller’s opening-week triumphs. Can anyone else in the squad match that influence over a full campaign?

2. Auxerre pulled the score back to 4-2 despite playing with 10 men for most of the match. Was Lens’s late defensive lapse a genuine concern — or simply the cost of an open game once the result looked secure?

Would a tighter Lens side have kept a clean sheet after Makosso’s red card, or did Still’s substitutions expose real vulnerabilities at the back?

Share your read on whether Lens’s 5-2 win signals a genuine title push — or an early standings bump before PSG and the rest of the top six have played.

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