Lens produced a stunning stoppage-time turnaround to beat 10-man Slavia Prague 3-2 at Fortuna Arena on Thursday, with Florian Thauvin and Ruben Aguilar turning a pulsating UEFA Champions League league-phase fixture on its head.
After a goalless first half, Slavia were dealt a major setback when Mikulás Konecny was sent off in the 49th minute. Yet the hosts responded with impressive defiance, taking the lead just two minutes later through Danijel Sturm.
Lens had controlled much of the ball and eventually found their reply in the 73rd minute, when Abdallah Sima made it 1-1. The French side finished with 62.7% possession, 26 shots and eight efforts on target, but Slavia continued to carry a threat despite their numerical disadvantage.
Sturm appeared to have delivered a famous result for the Prague side when he struck his second goal in the 88th minute, restoring Slavia’s lead at 2-1. However, Lens refused to accept defeat.
Thauvin levelled with a header in the 90th minute plus one, silencing the home support and setting up a frantic final act. Then, in the 90th minute plus three, substitute Aguilar completed the comeback with Lens’s third goal of the evening.
It was a brutal conclusion for Slavia, who had battled through 41 minutes with 10 men and received a superb two-goal contribution from Sturm. Lens, though, showed the attacking depth and late-game composure required on the European stage, leaving Prague with all three points after one of the night’s most dramatic finishes.
Goals
- Slavia Prague: Danijel Sturm, 51′
- Lens: Abdallah Sima, 73′
- Slavia Prague: Danijel Sturm, 88′
- Lens: Florian Thauvin, 90’+1′
- Lens: Ruben Aguilar, 90’+3′
