Sambou Soumano continued his hot scoring streak as he found the net to help Lorient end their 15-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over Lens on Sunday that lifts the Breton side off the bottom of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table.
LORIENT 2-0 LENS
THE MATCH
Saint-Etienne's win over Montpellier less than 24 hours earlier had seen Lorient drop into 20th place in the French top flight, which was another reason for them to be low on confidence against a Lens side that knew victory — after just two triumphs in nine — would take them into fifth and give their ambitions of qualifying for Europe a boost.
Matthieu Dreyer made his first start of the season in goal after the club's very public but failed attempt to find a replacement for Paul Nardi; the veteran custodian's qualities are already well known, however, those of Soumano are only just being fully discovered.
Lens dominated possession in the early stages, but were unable to make the most of it as both sides failed to muster a shot on target in the opening half-hour. That changed just before the break when Soumano struck: Armand Laurienté sped down the left on the counter-attack, bamboozling Kevin Danso before crossing for Soumano to net at the near post (43').
Lens had ended a six-game wait for an away win at Saint-Etienne, but never looked likely to do Les Verts a favour in pegging back Lorient, despite the half-time introduction of Florian Sotoca for an off-colour Wesley Saïd.
Terem Moffi latched onto a Thomas Monconduit through ball and struck a post (62') and Laurienté tested Jean-Lous Leca (73') before substitutes Stéphane Diarra and Ibrahima Koné — the latter making his league debut following his winter arrival from Sarpsborg — teamed up to double the hosts' lead within a minute of coming off the bench.
Diarra got in behind the visitors' high line, and though he looked to have lost possession, the ball ran kindly for Koné, who fired home to sighs of relief around the stadium. Yannick Cahuzac's red card for showing his frustration too graphically while rooted to the Lens substitutes' bench (77') compounded a difficult afternoon for Franck Haise's side.
THE PLAYER: Sambou Soumano
Handed his first start after scoring cameos in the last two league games, the 21-year-old Senegalese forward will no doubt watch his compatriots attempt to win the Africa Cup of Nations later on Sunday. By the time the next AFCON comes around in two years' time, he will surely find himself on the pitch representing his country if he continues like this.
THE STAT: 8
Lorient also ended a run of seven home games without a win. If they had not triumphed here, they would have equalled the club record set back in 2011.
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