RC Lens steadies after shock departure with win over Olympique Lyon

Racing Club de Lens (RC Lens) opened the Ligue 1 restart with a 2‑1 victory over Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday, the sixth round of the campaign. The win, secured by the Sang et Or, came as the club’s new manager Yannick Cahuzac took charge for the first league match.

New coach steadies the dressing‑room

Those who remained during the international break were able to train under Cahuzac, who succeeded Dino Toppmöller after the latter’s dismissal in mid‑September. The change was intended to stabilise the dressing‑room atmosphere.

Giovanni Castaldi confirmed the impact on Sunday’s Téléfoot l’After, saying: “It was a victory on the mental side and there is a lot of relief because the departure of Dino Toppmöller caused huge discussion inside and outside.”

He added that Lens is usually praised for flawless management, but “there was an enormous shock and the club had to see how the dressing‑room would digest it.” He stressed the problem lay in daily locker‑room issues rather than on‑field performance.

Board backs the mental turnaround

Castaldi concluded that when players send a message and the board follows, it must be validated on the pitch: “The result and the mindset show the players are extremely relieved and it will do them good.”

The win lifted the Sang et Or to ninth place in the provisional Ligue 1 table after six rounds, with a record of two wins, one draw and three defeats.