Lens advanced to sixth place in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 away victory over Reims, thanks to the return of coach Will Still. Near the end of the previous season, after almost two years in command, Still departed Reims by mutual consent. In June, he joined Lens' northern flank.
Adrien Thomasson, a former Strasbourg midfielder, scored the first goal in the 23rd minute after Przemyslaw Frankowski, a winger for Poland, set him up with a badly cleared cross. He drove the ball home by chesting it down. Yevhann Diouf, the goalie for Reims, was put to the test several times but made a number of excellent saves to keep his club in the game. His efforts were fruitless, though, as M'Bala Nzola of Lens scored a skillfully constructed goal in the 61st minute to end the match. Reims' continued difficulties in the competitive league are reflected in their loss, which maintains them in ninth place.