High-flying Lens lose ground in Ligue 1 title race by drawing away at Troyes
Coming into the contest with just one win from their previous 11 league matches, Troyes knew a positive start was needed against their in-form opponents.
However, true to form, it was Lens who edged a largely uneventful opening half-hour, with Florian Sotoca firing the game’s best chance against the post when well-placed inside the box.
The visitors looked to up the ante before halftime with plenty of possession in the Troyes half, but a lack of cutting edge in the final third continued to prove problematic for Franck Haise’s men, as Alexis Claude-Maurice saw a promising effort deflected wide and Lois Openda was denied from close range.
Despite being on the back foot for large spells of the first half, Troyes emerged after the restart eager to gain a foothold in the contest, and duly took a shock lead after just five second-half minutes.
Xavier Chavalerin threaded a neat pass into the path of Yasser Larouci, who took a touch to control, before firing a brilliant strike into the bottom-right corner to score the first senior goal of his career.
Undeterred by the shock setback, Lens went in pursuit of an immediate response, as Sotoca saw a header superbly thwarted by Gauthier Gallon.
Desperate to preserve their 11-match unbeaten run, the visitors continued to press for an equaliser, and their persistence was finally rewarded with two minutes remaining, as substitute Adrien Thomasson tucked home a close-range rebound to secure a hard-earned share of the spoils.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yasser Larouci (Troyes)