How can RC Lens find itself on the side of the European road? Bent double, hands on his knees, Andy Diouf wondered this for a long time on the pitch and we will continue to wonder this for a long time; it is incomprehensible. Totallyapprouve Will Still. We couldn’t have controlled this match better or had a game plan that held up as well, unfortunately, that’s the harsh reality of football, not always the one that pleases. We had about twenty shots, a lot of situations where we were capable of killing the whole of the two matches. We sinned in terms of efficiency but I couldn’t be prouder of the state of mind put in place and of the team. You lose on two transitions, on a European experience and on minimal but extremely important details, it hurts. “The coach assures us again,” we will not change anything in what we do. “By wanting to attack again and again when he had qualification in hand, especially in the second half, his RC Lens nevertheless exposed itself and it is a nightmare for an entire club and its supporters.
As in the first leg, where they had already conceded a goal that reduced their advantage (2-1), Lens dominated Panathinaikos. Limited, the Greeks offered almost nothing against an intense and playful Racing. A first shot in the 20th minute of play and then an opportunity, a goal… Jonathan Gradit who had to intervene to cut the momentum of Fotis Ioannidis and who gave the ball back to the feet of Facundo Pellistri (1-0, 62nd) to put the two teams back on a level playing field. Quite the opposite of RC Lens, who should have won the match well before.
Dragowski, hero of “Pana”
In the first half alone, Lens missed a penalty (15th); Dragowski went the right way on Florian Sotoca’s shot, after a foul in the area by Mladenovic on David Pereira da Costa. They also missed, despite a strong team game, two huge chances, both scored by Wesley Saïd, a header first that flirted with the post on a corner by Pereira da Costa and a superb shot lodged under the bar from a tight angle taken out by the Greek goalkeeper (32nd). The striker even had a third on his foot shortly after the restart, but Dragowski stood in front of him again (51st). We will also add this shot by Adrien Thomasson, again deflected by the “Pana” goalkeeper (57th). In short, before being caught on a first transition, Lens had had plenty to improve their small goal lead and put their qualification in the warm. His domination had even extinguished the Olympic stadium and its 60,000 spectators, noisy in waves.
After another superb ball from Angelo Fulgini in the box for Thomasson, stopped by Jedvaj, Lens opened up again: a hot situation in front of the Greek goal and here is Mancini who runs on the counter to serve Pellistri (2-0), the goal of the KO. In the stoppage time again, Racing could have sent themselves to extra time, but a new stop from Dragowski, on Andy Diouf, followed by a save from Maksimovic in front of Rémy Labeau-Lascary definitively buried the illusions of Lens at the foot of the Acropolis. The efficiency, on both sides of the field, was very Greek. We are dejected », admet Jonathan Gradit.
As in February already, in Fribourg in the Europa League play-off, a sterile domination and a collapse. RC Lens had a hell of a time recovering; they will only play once a week this season, and that too will have to be digested.
PANATHINAÏKOS – LENS : 2-0 (0-0).
1-2 first leg. Panathinaikos qualified.
At the Olympic Stadium in Athens.
Around 60,000 spectators.
Referee: Mr. Munuera (ESP).
Buts: Pellistri (62e), Tetê (85e).
Warnings to the Athenians Tetê (19th); to the Lensois Frankowski (10th), Gradit (53rd) and Haïdara (90th +4).
PANATHINAIKOS : Dragowski ; Kotsiras (Vagiannidis, 61st), Ingason (Schenkeveld, 79th), Jedvaj, Mladenovic ; Arao, Cerin (Maksimovic, 61e) ; Tetê, Bacasetas (Mancini, 61e), Pellistri (Duricic, 82e) ; Ioannidis (cap.). Coach : Diego Alonso.
LENS Samba (cap.); Gradit (Nzola, 87th), Khusanov, Sarr (Haïdara, 71st); Frankowski, Thomasson, Diouf, Machado (Chavez, 71st); Pereira da Costa (Fulgini, 67th); Sotoca, Saïd (Labeau-Lascary, 67th). Coach: Will Still.
