Ligue 1 McDonald's, Matchweek 2, 29/08/2026
Morocco international winger Gessime Yassine was the star of the show as Hugo Oliveira secured his first win as Strasbourg manager, cancelling out Florian Thauvin's opener from the spot.
The Match
After last week's humiliating 4-0 away loss to Marseille , Strasbourg started their first home game of the Ligue 1 season with the bit between the teeth. Hugo Oliveira's men appplied the heat on Les Sang et Or by monopolizing the ball and overwhelming their opponents by quick passes, overlaps and aggression.
Right-sided winger Gessime Yassine was a menace throughout and made plenty of differences but, unfortunately, Strasbourg initially lacked an edge in the final third. Their first dangerous shot on target occurred after the half-hour mark, when Robin Risser caught Giovanni Reyna's half-volley.
Since then, Lens had gone through the gears, indebting Strasbourg to several excellent saves from Chelsea loanee Filip Jörgensen. Abdallah Sima particularly shone through in the first half to lead Lens' attack. The former Brighton striker made the difference in drawing a foul from Jeyland Mitchell inside Strasbourg's penalty box. Florian Thauvin stepped up to make it a century of Ligue 1 goals by wrong-footing Jörgensen.
Jacobo Ortega missed the chance to restore parity, but Robin Risser was alert to stick a leg out. Minutes into the second half, the France international goalkeeper was left powerless by Yassine's left-footed attempt, that took a heavy deflection off Souleyman Sagnan.
The Moroccan was again in the spotlight when La Meinau thought the hosts had gone ahead, threading a precise cross for Nanasi. Risser saved the Swede's header, before the offside Jacobo Ortega slammed the ball home. As Strasbourg drew level with Lens, the hosts exerted more control. Oliveira's team felt way more solid when out of possession, leaving Jörgensen virtually untested in the second half.
The introduction of fresh Lens legs, with Ruben Aguilar and Thorgan Hazard, didn't swing the momentum into the visitors' favour. Risser saved Amo-Ameyaw's shot from distance, but Strasbourg eventually turned the game on its head through Yassine. The 20-year-old half-volleyed Nanasi's cross to offer Oliveira his debut win as Strasbourg head coach.
Lens player ratings
Robin Risser, 6
Souleyman Sagnan, 3
The Malian centre-back struggled to contain Yassine's influence. Pulled out of position for the Moroccan's shot he deflected into his own net, and too late to intervene for Strasbourg's second goal.
Ismaëlo Ganiou, 4
Maik Nawrocki, 4
Matthieu Udol, 4
Yacine Titraoui, 5
Michaël Cuisance, 4
Michal Skoras, 4
Franjo Ivanovic, 4
Abdallah Sima, 6
The centre-forward was deeply involved in most of Lens' best attacking phases. His hold-up play and decision-making were textbook stuff. Drew the penalty that gave Lens the lead. His influence waned as Lens relinquished control in the second half.
Florian Thauvin, 6
Selected Strasbourg player ratings
Filip Jörgensen, 8
The Chelsea loanee had a nightmare start to Ligue 1 life in shipping four Marseille goals last week. The Dane was more airtight today, drawing a couple of eye-catching saves to delay Lens' opener. Made some strong saves to deny Lens in the final minutes.
Sebastian Nanasi, 7
Gessime Yassine, 8
The maverick Moroccan put on an electric display of skills, pace and vision. The 20-year-old tormented Lens' left side and was rewarded with a well-taken debut goal. Involved in Ortega's disallowed goal, and found himself at the right place to give his side the lead. To put it simply, he made things happening.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
