Ghizlane leads Strasbourg's comeback

Paris (AFP) – Young Moroccan international Yassine Bounou scored two goals for Strasbourg, leading them to overturn a deficit and beat visitors Lens, holders of the Coupe de France, 2-1 on Saturday in the second round of Ligue 1.

Bounou, who featured with the Atlas Lions at the North American World Cup, netted Strasbourg’s goals in the 48th and 85th minutes, responding to Florian Thauvin’s 38th-minute penalty that had given Lens the lead.

The victory marked the first win for new Strasbourg manager Hugo Oliveira in Ligue 1, following a heavy 4-0 defeat to Marseille in his opening match.

Thauvin, who scored his 100th league goal, believed he would guide Lens to a third consecutive victory across all competitions. Lens had previously knocked out league champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophée des Champions and secured their first league win with a 5-2 victory over Auxerre. However, the 20-year-old Bounou had other plans, opening his scoring account for his club.

Thauvin opened the scoring from the penalty spot, curling the ball into the corner, continuing his impressive start to the season. He had previously scored twice against Auxerre last week and netted the winner in the Trophée des Champions against PSG.

The home side equalized less than three minutes into the second half when Bounou opened his account with a shot that took a deflection off a defender, following a pass from Swede Sebastian Nanasi.

Oliveira’s men took the lead five minutes before the end when Bounou met Nanasi’s cross with a first-time shot at the far post, sparking raucous celebrations.

Lens nearly equalized immediately, but Mathieu Odou’s header struck the post and rebounded away.

Lyon continued their string of poor results after drawing 1-1 with visitors Le Havre, just three days after their 2-1 defeat to Turkish side Fenerbahce in the Champions League group stage qualifying round.