The hosts double their lead through a Saint-Maximin stunner! And their first goalscorer Thauvin is involved again as he picks up the ball on the right flank before moving it inside to the Frenchman. Saint-Maximin is then afforded far too much time to take a touch, get his head up and pick out the bottom right-hand corner from just outside the Toulouse penalty area. What a start for the home side! Lens 2-0 Toulouse!
Lens take an early lead. Thauvin nodded the ball down for Thomasson on the left flank. The latter then played the ball back across to Thauvin, who appeared to be hacked to the ground from behind by Diop in the penalty area. Referee reviewed through VAR and pointed to the spot.
Thauvin duly steps up to the spot and lofts the ball past Haug and into the top left-hand corner!! It was an incredibly composed finish by the Frenchman which sends the home fans into ecstacy!! Lens 1-0 Toulouse.
The match is underway. The visitors Toulouse have an opportunity to get off to a perfect start as Sidibe heads the ball down for Donnum in the Lens penalty area. Fortunately for the hosts, the latter is unable to make clean contact on his attempted volley and Lens scramble to clear. What a chance in the opening 20 seconds!
Robin Risser; Ismaelo Ganiou, Samson Baidoo, Malang Sarr; Saud Abdulhamid, Adrien Thomasson, Mamadou Sangare, Matthieu Udol; Florian Thauvin, Odsonne Edouard, Allan Saint-Maximin.
Reserves: Ruben Aguilar, Andrija Bulatovic, Florian Sotoca, Mathieu Gorgelin, Abdallah Sima, Amadou Haidara, Wesley Said, Arthur Masuaku, Rayan Fofana.
Kjetil Haug; Seny Koumbassa, Charlie Cresswell, Rasmus Nicolaisen; Djibril Sidibe, Pape Diop, Cristian Casseres, Dayann Methalie; Aron Donnum, Emersonn, Santiago Hidalgo.
Reserves: Guillaume Restes, Julian Vignolo, Warren Kamanzi, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Ilyas Azizi, Gaetan Bakhouche, Alexis Vossah, Mario Sauer.
In their most recent match on Friday, April 17, 2026, RC Lens secured a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Toulouse FC in Ligue 1. The game, held at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, was a rollercoaster that saw Lens keep their slim title hopes alive by moving within a point of PSG. Toulouse stunned the home crowd with two goals in the first 13 minutes. Cristian Cásseres scored in the 6th minute, followed by a Seny Koumbassa header in the 13th. In the 17th minute, Toulouse midfielder Yann Gboho received a straight red card. Despite playing against 10 men, Lens struggled to break through until late in the second half.
Despite being down to ten men, Toulouse held firm until the hour mark. Lens finally broke through in the 61st minute via Saud Abdulhamid. Five minutes later, Adrien Thomasson leveled the score, capitalising on a rebound.
In the 91st minute, center-back Ismaëlo Ganiou rose unmarked to head home a corner, sealing the 3-2 win and keeping Lens' league title hopes alive.
While RC Lens and Toulouse FC do not share a traditional local derby—separated by nearly 900 kilometers—their fixtures have developed a reputation for high drama, tactical variety, and significant high-stakes outcomes in French football.
The rivalry reached a fever pitch in April 2026, with the two sides meeting twice in less than a week for critical objectives.
On April 17, 2026, Lens pulled off a spectacular 3-2 comeback after trailing 2-0 early in the match. This victory was vital in keeping Lens within one point of league leaders PSG.
Fixture: Lens vs Toulouse
Series: Coupe de France 2025-26
Venue: Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 12:40 AM IST
Good evening, football fans! This is the start of our live blog covering the Coupe de France semi-final between Lens vs Toulouse. Stay tuned for pre-match updates and line-ups as they are released.
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