Saïd double lifts Lens against ten-man Monaco
Capping a busy Saturday in Ligue 1 McDonald's, RC Lens won on the road against Monaco, beating the hosts 4-1 after Folarin Balogun was sent off in the first half. Catch up on all the action with our match report.
Balogun goes from hero to villain
After a grueling trip to face Bødo/Glimt in midweek, the deck was always going to be somewhat stacked against AS Monaco, who were still missing a raft of important players in midfield and defence. Despite Sébastien Pocognoli's limited ability to make changes, the hosts started the brighter, with both Aleksandr Golovin (3') and Folarin Balogun (6') testing Robin Risser in the match's early going.
Lens would respond through in-form Odsonne Édouard, though -- after hitting the post (9') the big forward would open the scoring after Monaco 'keeper Philipp Köhn had saved his initial effort. The hosts would level the match before the break, though -- Folarin Balogun converted a penalty (37'), but Lens were back on top in short order as Wesley Saïd fired in a rasping shot from the left to make it 2-1 (40'). Things then went from bad to worse for the hosts as Balogun was sent off just before the interval for a poor challenge.
LENS PUT ON A SHOW IN MONACO! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1AhYwtzUwh
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 8, 2025
Saïd seals the deal
With a man advantage and the bit between their teeth, Lens pushed for a third before halftime and got it, as Mamadou Sangaré tapped home on the counter (45+6'). After the break, the pace of the match slowed noticeably, but Saïd slotted home again on the hour to make the final margin 4-1, scoring his fifth of the season in the process. The lone bright spot for Monaco was the return of captain Denis Zakaria, who came off the bench after missing some two months out with injury.
With the international break now at hand, Lens can reflect on a hugely impressive first third of the season, as they now sit just goal difference behind leaders Marseille, with 25 points from their first twelve matches. A challenging match against Strasbourg awaits after the break, but Le Sang et Or look for all the world able to sustain their play. As for Monaco, they face a much tougher set of fixtures, with two Champions League matches and Ligue 1 games against Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille to come before the end of the calendar year.
