RC Lens provisionally took top spot in Ligue 1 this afternoon, defeating Stade Rennais 3-1 despite going down to ten men after Ruben Aguilar’s 56th-minute red card. Lens went a point above Paris Saint-Germain, although the capital side are still to play, and will take on rivals Olympique de Marseille on Sunday evening.
Lens’s impressive season has been led by talismanic figure Florian Thauvin (33), the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, who arrived in the summer from Udinese. Thauvin was once again found in the thick of it, registering an assist as Lens completed a comeback following Rennes taking the lead in the 8th minute courtesy of Estéban Lepaul.
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Thauvin’s form this season saw him return to the France set-up in October and November as an emergency replacement following a six-year exodus from the squad. And the former Newcastle United man has his sights set on more appearances for his national team, especially with the summer’s World Cup rapidly approaching.
Speaking at the microphone of beIN Sports following the win over Rennes, Thauvin said, “As long as I’m on the pitch, the World Cup will be a goal for me.” He added, “I love the France national team, above all else; it’s the Holy Grail. But before that, it comes down to leadership, performances on the field, and it’s about working hard every day. There’s still quite a bit of time before the squad announcement, and we’re working hard, giving our all, and then we’ll see what happens.”
GFFN | Nick Hartland
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