Came in from the bench and contributed in the final sprint that gave the winning goal.
OSLO / LENS (Nettavisen): The recent Ligue 1 pro Patrick Berg (24) played just over 20 minutes as a substitute for Lens against Rennes on Saturday night.
His team decided just before the end when another substitute, Wesley Saïd, steered in 1-0 from a position at the first post.
The Norwegian national team player got to know the level in his new league everyday for the first time after arriving in northern France. Berg was sold to RC Lens just before Christmas, after two straight league golds in the elite series with Bodø / Glimt.
Berg himself was very pleased after Lens secured three points in his first match in the French top division.
– It has been a very nice week since I came here, and I feel it is a club that suits me perfectly. It is very close and dear here, it is like a family, where everyone knows everyone, says the shopkeeper to Nettavisen.
He says Lens is a city, and the circumstances surrounding the team are perfect for him.
– I’m not used to any big city with a lot of traffic and all that. Coming here to a city with 30,000 inhabitants is spot on, especially when you are taking the first step out of Norway and out of the country. Then it can be nice to get to a slightly quiet environment, so it fits perfectly, he says.
Berg says that the character the team has shown this week, both in the cup victory against the big team Lille, where Lens turned the match around and won after a penalty shootout, and on Saturday against Rennes, has been very good.
– We stand on the whole road and create great chances, which means that we finally get the payoff, so sportingly it has been a very nice week, says Berg.
Watch the rest of the interview with Patrick Berg in the video at the top of the case.
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The midfielder helped put Rennes under real pressure on the butt.
– Patrick Berg is actually a big part of that pressure, Nettavisen journalist Stian André de Wahl pointed out when he summed up the match.
Two Norwegians on the benches
Both Berg and Rennes defender Birger Meling started the match on the substitutes’ bench.
Meling had some injury trouble in the weeks before Christmas, but has otherwise played a lot this Ligue 1 season.
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For Berg, on the other hand, Saturday’s settlement was the first opportunity to get playing time at the French top level after the transfer from Glimt this winter.
The 24-year-old first got to play with both Lens’ big midfield profiles, Seko Fofana (26) and Cheick Doucouré (22).
Took out the captain
Just before full time, however, it was also over for team captain Fofana. The big leading star in the team was replaced by what turned out to be a somewhat frustrating night for him.
With just a quarter of an hour left, Lens put a real pressure on the guests and was extremely close.
A heroic block from Rennes stopper Warmed Omari prevented Lens striker Arnaud Kalimuendo from scoring.
Then came Saïd’s match-winning scoring in the 89th minute.
Lens is in sixth place in the table after Saturday’s important victory, one point behind Saturday’s opponent in fourth place.
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