Racing Club de Lens 1-0 Olympique de Marseille: Penalty Hero Steve Mandanda Can’t Save OM A Point

It took Racing Club de Lens over 92 minutes to break the deadlock, but no-one in the home section of the crowd was complaining as they gunned down Ligue 1 giants Olympique de Marseille.

An engrossing scoreless draw seemed somewhat inevitable after Yohann Demont had missed a second half penalty for the hosts, who then had to repel an invigorated OM. However, a late header from Eduardo gave Lens maximum points.

The early stages of the encounter promised a highly entertaining game, with Lens immediately looking to make a good fist at winning the game by starting positively. After only three minutes les Sang et Or might have moved into the ascendancy, but Toifilou Maoulida’s snapshot was brilliantly repelled by Steve Mandanda in the visiting net.

Though the tempo remained high for the opening 45 minutes, the frenetic pace was too high for either set of players with a great deal of control. For that reason possession regularly switched from side-to-side, with neither team taking a truly firm hold of the first half.

Creative play was more forthcoming from Marseille, who were the more positive side for the majority of the period. Lens’ defence was impressive, though, with a committed challenge from Alaeddine Yahia denying Benoit Cheyrou when he was poised to strike home the opening goal after a ball broke kindly to him in the box. His strong defending was not unique in the home side, with Romain Sartre equally effective.

Breaks forward from the northerners were relatively infrequent, with Sebastien Roudet generally kept well under wraps by OM. When the former Valenciennes man found space, he threatened to do damage with his astute passing, but it was Kanga Akale, up against rookie right-back Garry Bocaly, who looked the home side’s most likely path to goal.

Half-time changed little, with the in-your-face style of the hosts continually causing OM problems. After a largely flat-looking Marseille were stifled in the immediate minutes after the interval, Lens started to push forward a little more positively.

Demont typified Lens’ swashbuckling spirit after the break, and a strong surge into the box on 60 minutes was characteristic of his performance. Having powered past Lucho Gonzalez, the full-back was tripped by Bocaly, earning a penalty kick. With the chance to blast aside ahead, he was found wanting by Steve Mandanda, whose strong stretch to his left repelled the ball.

The same player also missed from 12-yards against Olympique Lyonnais, but it was a credit to his professionalism that his performance level remained high. Indeed, though his inability to find the net from the penalty spot sparked a spell of strong pressure from les Phoceens, it would be the right-back who would produce a heroic saving challenge to deny Brandao, who appeared poised to sweep home from deep inside the box.

Brought on from the bench in place of the ineffective Fernando Morientes, who managed just a couple of off-target headers, the Brazilian would prove a greater threat. An awkward shot from the edge of the area from the former Shakhtar Donetsk man had to be carefully watched by Vedran Runje.

A flicked header from Brandao allowed Benoit Cheyrou to wave out a tentative left boot to provide a potentially troublesome deflection in front of Runje’s goal. The Croatian goalkeeper read the situation well and made a solid save.

To this point, Marseille’s best effort had come from Niang, who had cut inside Demont before having a shot beaten away by Runje. Fresh from terrorising Milan in midweek, the Senegalese ace then produced a moment of magic as he ducked and weaved through three challenges. The hard work done, Niang lost his composure and blasted well over the bar.

A scoreless draw seemed inevitable by this stage, and as added time arrived there seemed little prospect of either side striking. But looks can be deceiving. In the final minute of the game, a vicious inswinging free kick from Roudet was glanced deftly into the net by substitute Eduardo, sending the vast majority of the Stade Bollaert wild.

The dramatic conclusion to proceedings is undoubtedly a massive blow to Marseille’s title hopes. Though they have a game in hand on Bordeaux and Lyon, those two sides now have the chance to open up clear water between themselves and OM. From the home side’s perspective, things could barely have gone any better, with Jean-Guy Wallemme’s side jumping well clear of the drop zone with three points.