LENS, France (Reuters) – Joel Asoro netted a first-half goal to seal a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory for Metz over a wasteful RC Lens in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Hosts Lens – looking for their first win this season – played with great intensity throughout the match and set up camp in Metz’s half in the opening spell, taking 13 shots in the first 35 minutes of the game.
Goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja kept Metz in the match with a string of fine saves, before the visitors struck against the run of play in the 37th minute, as new signing Asoro stuck a foot out to divert a cross into the net.
A huge roar erupted at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the 65th minute when Lens thought they had finally broken the deadlock after Elye Wahi found the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Florian Sotoca forced a 10th save of the evening from Oukidja with a low shot late into added time, but it was to be a day of frustration for the hosts.
Lens, who finished second in Ligue 1 last season, are second from bottom in the league standings, while Metz’s win takes them up to sixth with eight points from five games.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
