Lens 0-2 Sporting CP: result and report

Report

Sporting CP won 2-0 at Lens, but the scoreline makes it look more comfortable than it was. Lens had more of the ball, more shots and the slightly better xG. Sporting CP still created the clearer chances, and they took two of them.

Luis Suárez opened the scoring on 22 minutes from a Nestory Irankunda pass.

Issa Doumbia settled it on 74 minutes, with Silas Sinan Erhen Thorup Andersen providing the assist. Lens never found a reply, so the second goal effectively ended the contest.

Lens were far from outplayed, although the result suggests otherwise. They had 56% possession, 12 shots to Sporting CP's seven and 16 key passes to 10. Their xG of 1.66 edged Sporting CP's 1.37, and they also hit the woodwork.

They spent much more of the match on the front foot, making 63 dangerous attacks to Sporting CP's 40. Florian Thauvin was rated the best player on the pitch despite finishing on the losing side. That fits a game in which Lens did most of the attacking.

The gap was in the quality of the best chances. Sporting CP created three big chances to Lens's one, so their best openings were better even though Lens had more attempts overall.

At the other end, Lens put six shots on target and Sporting CP saved all six. That is why a side with the higher xG left without a goal. The counter-signal is real, though. On these numbers, a narrower game would not have been a surprise.