RC Lens coach Franck Haise lamented his side's poor fortune in front of goal after the 1-0 loss in Eindhoven on UEFA Champions League Matchday 4, but called for his side to stay strong and step up to the challenge and clinch qualification in their final two matches, against Arsenal and Sevilla.
Lens were unbeaten in the Champions League heading into Wednesday night's clash in Eindhoven, but the heavy pressing game of the Dutch side - and their unpredictable playing surface - led to the club from northern France conceding their first defeat of the campaign.
Haise: 'Proud of the way the players performed'
"We started the game well. We attacked the goal well," said the charismatic Lens boss. "But they scored from their first chance. After that, the game became a bit different. We didn't manage to stay calm and airtight. It's not easy to achieve, but it's the only way you can be more accurate, which is the quality we were lacking the most. I'm pretty proud of the way the players performed right up to the end. But once again, I regret their lack of precision."
Indeed, PSV captain Luuk De Jong smashed a header home off the underside of the cross-bar in the 12th minute, leaving Lens to play catch-up for much of the match.
"In a superb move at the end of the game, we were very sharp but hit the post just when we thought we could have equalised. And we added a header after that," said Haise of Morgan Guilavogui's shot (88') and Kevin Danso's goal-bound header that was cleared off the line (90'+1). "I want to say, and I told the players, how proud we were of what we had given and shown in the Champions League. But also the need for us to keep improving so that we don't go away frustrated by this kind of match.
Haise: 'We know who we are'
The result leaves Lens slip to third, locked on five points with PSV, four points shy of leaders Arsenal. This means that Haise's charges will need to lift their game at home to the Gunners on Matchday 5 - without Guilavogui, who picked up a red card off the bench - before playing host to Sevilla on the final day of the group stage.
"We've got two games left against opponents who are better than us, against whom we'll be trying to win," intoned Haise. "We know who we are and where we stand. We just have to rise to the occasion. My players have been up to it for the last four games. Sometimes they're not rewarded. We have to try and be more effective."
Lens face a stiff test as they return to domestic duties this weekend with the visit of Olympique de Marseille to the Stade Bollaert on Sunday night (20:45 CET).
(Photo credit: RC Lens)
