That’s how you show you deserve to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage! Never-say-die RC Lens defeated Olympique de Marseille 2-1 to move into Ligue 1 second place and take the lead in the race for automatic qualification for the UCL group stage.Goals from captain Seko Fofana and goal machine Lois Openda gave Franck Haise’s side a much-needed victory and put them two points above the ineffective Les Marseilles.Ivorian star man Seko Fofana opened the scoring just before the break with a well-taken shot from just outside the area. The team from the north of France put the visitors under immense pressure and showed some valiant defending whenever Igor Tudor’s players dared to venture forward. It can be said that the visitors played well because they appeared to control the play for large periods of the match, but they rarely looked like making their ball possession and apparent superiority in the passing segment of the game count. But the hosts were focused when the ball needed to be put in the back of the net.Tudor pulled multiple substitutions in the final ten minutes and two of them combined to reduce the deficit. Mateo Guendouzi started the move that was finished off by Dimitri Payet with a couple of minutes remaining, but it was too little too late. Marseille slide into third and Blood and Gold come within breathing distance of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Perhaps the second place is not their ceiling!LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 34SaturdayNice – Rennes 2-1 (0-0)/Laborde 50, Moffi 72 – Bourigeaud 78/Reims – Lille 1-0 (1-0)/Muntesi 21/Lens – Marseille 2-1 (1-0)/Fofana 42, Openda 60 – Payet 88/Sunday14.00: (7.25) Angers (4.50) Monaco (1.53)16.00: (3.50) Ajaccio (3.35) Toulouse (2.30)16.00: (2.42) Auxerre (3.25) Clermont (3.15)16.00: (2.55) Lorient (3.45) Brest (3.00)16.00: (2.90) Nantes (3.35) Strasbourg (2.65)Monday18.05: (1.73) Olympique Lyon (3.90) Montpellier (5.50)21.45: (8.00) Troyes (5.30) PSG (1.39)***odds are subject to change***
