Substitute Abdallah Wins It Late as Marseille Beat Lens 2-1

Keyliane Abdallah scored the winner four minutes after coming off the bench as Marseille beat Lens 2-1 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday in Ligue 1.

Marseille scored first, after two minutes. Amine Gouiri put the visitors ahead with the game's first goal. Lens levelled in the 20th minute. Florian Thauvin headed in from a Florian Sotoca assist and the teams went in at half time at 1-1.

The second half stayed level until the closing minutes. Marseille coach Bruno Genesio sent Abdallah on in the 78th minute, replacing Amine Harit. In the 82nd minute Abdallah scored, making it 2-1 with his only shot of the match. Lens, coached by Yannick Cahuzac, could not find an equaliser in the minutes left.

This was a Ligue 1 Matchday 10 game, and the pattern held for most of it. Marseille kept the ball, Lens stayed in the game with pressure and fouls, and the score stayed level from the 20th minute to the 82nd. The late booking for De Lange, at 90+2 minutes, came as Lens pushed for a second equaliser in stoppage time. Sportradar recorded full time at 90+5 minutes, with Marseille still holding the 2-1 lead Abdallah had given them eight minutes earlier.

The numbers

Marseille had 59 percent of possession to Lens's 41 percent. The shots count was 14 to 11 for Marseille, with five on target to Lens's four. Both goalkeepers, Robin Risser for Lens and Jeffrey De Lange for Marseille, made three saves. Corners finished 6 to 4 for Marseille. Lens committed 15 fouls to Marseille's eight, and De Lange was booked at 90+2 minutes.

Why it matters

Away wins at Lens are hard to take. The Stade Bollaert-Delelis holds a crowd bigger than the population of the town, and Lens had already levelled once in this game after falling behind inside two minutes. Marseille needed a second answer after Thauvin's header wiped out Gouiri's early goal, and the answer came from the bench: a substitute who had been on the pitch for four minutes, scoring with the only shot he took.

For Lens, the loss turns on the finish. They matched Marseille for long spells, drew level through a former Marseille player in Thauvin, and still left with nothing after conceding in the 82nd minute.

What is next

Marseille take three away points from one of the hardest grounds in Ligue 1, settled by a bench player in the last ten minutes. Lens take no points from a game they had pulled level, and turn to their next fixture needing to close out home games they are still in late on.