Lens beat Slavia Prague 3-2 with two stoppage-time goals in Champions League opener
Florian Thauvin and Ruben Aguilar scored in added time as RC Lens overcame a late deficit to defeat ten-man Slavia Prague 3-2 in Czechia.
Stoppage-time turnaround in Prague
RC Lens opened their UEFA Champions League campaign on 10 September 2026 with a 3-2 away victory against Slavia Prague, scoring two goals in added time to overturn a late deficit. Danijel Sturm had restored a 2-1 lead for the Czech hosts in the 88th minute, but Lens responded in stoppage time. Florian Thauvin headed in an equalizer in the 91st minute, followed two minutes later by a low angled strike from Ruben Aguilar in the 93rd minute.
The result marked only the second away victory in Lens's Champions League history, following a 1-0 win against Arsenal in November 1998. According to Opta data, Lens became the first team to win a Champions League match without extra time after trailing at the start of second-half stoppage time since Borussia Dortmund defeated Malaga 3-2 in the 2013 quarter-finals.
- Danijel Sturm opens the scoring for ten-man Slavia Prague
- Dino Toppmöller introduces substitutes Ruben Aguilar and Mezian Mesloub
- Abdallah Sima scores the equalizing goal for RC Lens
- Danijel Sturm scores his second goal to restore Slavia Prague's lead
- Florian Thauvin heads home the equalizer for Lens
- Ruben Aguilar scores the match-winning goal with a crossed shot
First-half pressure and defensive resilience
Lens entered the fixture in Prague without several injured players, including Abdulhamid, Titraoui, and Baidoo. Head coach Dino Toppmöller fielded an academy-trained central defensive trio consisting of 18-year-old Kyllian Antonio alongside 21-year-olds Ismaëlo Ganiou and Souleymane Sagnan. Slavia Prague created danger within the first twenty seconds when Sturm shot over the crossbar following a slip by Antonio.
The French side weathered sustained pressure during the opening half-hour as goalkeeper Robin Risser made stops to deny attacks in behind the defensive line on 21 and 27 minutes. Lens created chances of their own when Thauvin saw a 12th-minute strike deflected, followed by a missed opportunity from Abdallah Sima in the 30th minute. Slavia goalkeeper Jakub Markovic preserved the deadlock two minutes later by saving a header from Matthieu Udol off a corner.
Second-half shifts and substitutions
Slavia Prague received a red card early in the second half, leaving the hosts with ten players for nearly the entire second period. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Sturm gave Slavia the lead in the 51st minute. Toppmöller altered his setup around the 60th minute by introducing veteran defender Aguilar and 16-year-old midfielder Mezian Mesloub.
The tactical adjustments shifted momentum toward Lens. Sima leveled the score at 1-1 in the 73rd minute before Sturm capitalized on an 88th-minute opening to put Slavia back in front. Lens then mounted their decisive two-goal surge in stoppage time to claim all three points in the opening fixture.
Reactions from the dressing room
Thauvin, who was named player of the match, addressed the victory after consecutive domestic league defeats in France.
We had mental strength tonight, we were coming off a somewhat difficult period with two straight league defeats. And reacting as we did today will do us a lot of good.
Aguilar reflected on his relationship with Thauvin, noting their shared beginnings in the youth academy at Grenoble.
We came through the youth ranks together with Flo. Tonight, we score in the Champions League. You could not write this script, impossible.
Aguilar also emphasized the team's persistence after conceding late, stating in the mixed zone that the squad continued to believe at 2-1 and calling football the best sport in the world for experiencing such emotions. Lens will next look toward their remaining group fixtures ahead of the qualification cutoff in late January.
