Lens suffered a 9-1 home defeat to Como 1907 in their UEFA Champions League match on Wednesday, a loss that sets a new low in the competition’s history. No team had previously conceded nine goals at home in Europe’s premier club tournament until Yannick Cahuzac’s Lens did. The 41-year-old coach, who took over from Dino Toppmöller, accepted full responsibility for the result.
Cahuzac singled out the impact of Como’s two early goals, both coming from set-pieces Lens had prepared extensively for. “Our objective was to be very compact, to wait for them, and to get around them. By conceding two quick goals, we were forced to push forward more and we fell into their trap,” he said. The opening strikes unsettled Lens and disrupted their game plan.
At halftime, Lens trailed 3-0. Cahuzac considered two options: to defend and limit damage or to introduce fresh players to try to change the momentum. He chose the latter, hoping that the atmosphere at Bollaert-Delelis stadium might help his side mount a comeback. “I thought that if we could score at Bollaert, with the atmosphere, we might be able to try something,” Cahuzac explained. Instead, the team conceded three more goals within ten minutes, falling behind 6-0.
The coach described this moment as the point where he lost composure. Como then added three more goals before the final whistle, making the scoreline 9-1. Cahuzac said, “The hardest part is the way we lost. We don’t recognize ourselves in this performance, not the players, not me, not the club. It’s a collective failure, for which I take full responsibility.”
Lens’s loss ties the joint-heaviest defeat in the modern history of the European Cup. The scale of the defeat is a historic low for the French side and raises questions about their Champions League campaign this season.
Lens now prepare to face Marseille at home on Sunday night before the international break. The match will be watched closely as the club tries to recover from their humiliating defeat and regain confidence in Ligue 1 and Europe. Cahuzac’s leadership will be under particular scrutiny given his admission of fault for the heavy loss to Como.
According to Yahoo Sports.
