Recap: Jeremy Agbonifo Scores in Debut as Lens Defeat Montpellier

RC Lens started Matchday 20 in Ligue 1 McDonald's with a 2-0 win over Montpellier Hérault SC on Friday night at Stade de la Mosson.

Will Still and his team didn't take long to open the scoring as they found the back of the in the first minute of the contest. Lens goalkeeper Mathew Ryan played the ball to the left, and Goduine Koyalipou drove forward into the opposition’s half.

Koyalipou charged into the box and left Kiki Kouyaté on the ground with a quick turn. Adrien Thomasson then laid it off to M'Bala Nzola, who finished easily at the far post. Nzola's goal marks his second in three matches for Lens, with the 28-year-old beginning to find his scoring rhythm.

In the 25th minute, tensions flared on the sidelines as both managers received red cards. Will Still approached the referee, but Jean-Louis Gasset stepped in to hold him back. The referee lost his patience and sent both managers off, who then shared a brief hug before leaving the pitch.

Despite scoring first and being without their manager, Lens was looking for a second goal in those first 45 minutes as the away side recorded 11 total shots while Montpellier had five. The contest went into halftime with Les Sang et Or holding a 1-0 lead, but in the second half, Lens found the insurance goal.

Swedish debutant Jeremy Agbonifo came off the bench in the 60th minute and scored just one minute later. Agbonifo capitalized on his scoring chance, positioning himself in front of the six-yard box to calmly slot a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte. The assist came from Thomasson on the right, who recorded his second of the night.

The insurance goal from Agbonifo allowed Lens to leave Stade de la Mosson with all three points. After the contest, Téji Savanier spoke to DAZN about the hole that Montpellier dug themselves conceding the goal in the first minute of the match.

"We conceded early, which put us at a disadvantage right away. We knew they would counter quickly, so we tried to stay patient and hit them on the break. We had some chances but couldn’t take them. The season’s still long, and our focus is to keep pushing and never give up."

The Stat: Jeremy Agbonifo is in the RC Lens record book

After his second half goal against Montpellier, Agbonifo (19 years and 3 months) became the youngest player to score on his debut for Lens in Ligue 1 McDonald's since Michel Van Holme, who was 18 years and 11 months old when he scored against Angers on January 26, 1964.

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