Image via @RCLens on Twitter
RC Lens beat Troyes 1-0 in their Ligue 1 fixture last night, with Przemysław Frankowski securing the winning goal’s assist. Łukasz Poręba also played the first half, and Adam Buksa finally recovered from the ankle fracture he suffered to come on as a second half substitute.
Frankowski has been a star man for Lens since his arrival last summer from MLS outfit Chicago Fire. He was introduced after an injury to teammate Jonathan Gradit. He made an immediate impact, and was able to help Lens dominate the visitors even further. The pressure finally paid off after a free-kick was delivered fantastically by Frankowski onto the head of Kevin Danso, who redirected the ball into the net.
Poręba also had a solid 45 minutes, helping to progress the ball through the midfield and up to the attack well, although he was taken off at half-time for Seko Fofana, who is Lens’ best player. Poręba was never a standout midfielder in the Ekstraklasa when he played for Zagłębie Lubin, so it’s nice to see him playing with such confidence and success in France. He did pick up a yellow card for a high foot, which was a little harsh given his foot wasn’t that high, it was simply a case of the other person’s head being low.
Adam Buksa’s arrival at Lens this summer was a little unexpected, even though he has been a regular for Poland in the past year and had a high-rate of goalscoring in the MLS. He suffered an ankle injury on international duty as he was signed, and last night was his debut. Buksa’s job was to hold up the ball and be a focal point for Lens’ low block to hit the ball up the pitch to. He did an admirable job of this, but you could tell he was still getting back to full fitness, and games in the future will be more accurate to assess how well he might play in Ligue 1.
Lens has a sizeable Polish community, dating back to the 1940s and 1950s when Polish nationals went to work in the coal mines in the city. Henceforth many Polish players, or French players of Polish descent, have played for Lens. Frankowski, Poręba and Buksa are the latest in this trend, and it will be interesting to see how well the latter two perform in their first season in France.
For more, follow @ekstraklasaexp on Twitter and @ekstraklasaexports on Instagram to know when new posts go live.
Comentarios