Neil El Aynaoui Helps Fuel Lens' Attack for Four-Goal Win Over Monaco

The opening goal for the home side came in the 21st minute as Neil El Aynaoui curled the ball with his head and beat Philipp Köhn thanks to a brilliant assist from Nampalys Mendy.

El Aynaoui's goal in the first half would allow Lens to head into halftime with a 1-0 win, but the 23-year-old wasn't done terrorizing Monaco. After returning from the locker room, the night went from bad to worse for Adi Hütter and his team as they went down to 10 men.

On a quick counterattack by the Lens players, Goduine Koyalipou appeared to break behind the defense, which forced Soungoutou Magassa, as the last defender, to hold him back and bring him down, resulting in the red card.

Minutes after going up a man, Lens took advantage to increase their lead. After winning the ball high up, Mendy was played back outside the box but hit his right-footed cross too hard. The ball still fell to El Aynaoui's feet after a poor clearance, allowing for an unstoppable right-footed shot to give Lens a 2-0 lead.

The goal-scoring fest didn't stop there for Lens. The third goal for the home side came after Adrien Thomasson reacted to a blocked ball and blasted it past Köhn from close range.

Despite having a three-goal lead, Lens didn't stop there as they added a fourth goal. Anass Zaroury scored after a direct cross caught Köhn off guard, leading to Lens extending their lead to 4-0, which was the final scoreline.

Lens finished the season in eighth place, five points below Olympique Lyonnais for the UEFA Conference League spot. As for Monaco, they'll be playing in the UEFA Champions League for a second straight season.

The Stat: 3

After their impressive win over Monaco, Lens ended the 2024-25 Ligue 1 McDonald's season on a three-match unbeaten streak. Will Still and his team defeated Olympique Lyonnais and Monaco, two teams playing in a European competition next season. 

READ MORE:

>>Nice Punch UCL Qualifying Round Ticket With Six-Goal Performance