Lens comes from 2-0 down to beat Toulouse and keep alive Ligue 1 title hopes Lens fought back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Toulouse 3-2 in a dramatic Ligue 1 encounter on April 17, 2026, keeping their title aspirations alive. Ismaelo Ganiou scored the winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time to secure the victory for the home side at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Toulouse started strongly, taking an early lead through Cristian Cásseres Jr.’s sixth-minute goal after Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser failed to hold a long-range shot. The visitors doubled their advantage just seven minutes later when Seny Koumbassa headed in his first senior goal from a corner, leaving Lens 2-0 down after only 13 minutes. However, Lens received a lifeline shortly after when Toulouse’s top scorer Yann Gboho was shown a red card for a high challenge following a VAR review. Playing with a numerical advantage, Lens began their comeback just before halftime when Saud Abdulhamid pulled one back in the 61st minute. Adrien Thomasson equalized for Lens in the 67th minute, heading home from close range after sustained pressure. The home side continued to push for a winner and found it in dramatic fashion when Ganiou latched onto a loose ball in the 90th minute plus one to score the decisive goal. The victory marked Lens’s eighth win in ten meetings against Toulouse this season (with one draw and one loss), strengthening their position in the Ligue 1 title race. No team in Ligue 1 has gained more points at home than Lens this campaign, with a record of W13, D2 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The result keeps Lens within reach of league leaders PSG as they prepare for the Coupe de France semi-final rematch against Toulouse on Tuesday.
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