Lens and Slavia Prague serve up real drama with a full comeback in stoppage time

Lens earned a dramatic 3-2 victory away at Slavia Prague in the first round of the Champions League league phase. The French side clinched the win after a complete comeback, and the decisive moment of the match proved to be a red card shown to a Czech defender as early as the 49th minute, just minutes after the player had come on as a half-time substitute. It was his debut in the competition, but also a record-fast sending-off.

Despite their numerical advantage, the visitors from France struggled for a long time to break through the hosts' defense. Slavia took the lead shortly after the red card and held on to it for a long time, before Lens gradually increased the pressure and equalized around the 73rd minute. The hosts responded with a second goal shortly before the end of regulation time, appearing to be one step away from a valuable win despite being a man down.

The real drama, however, unfolded in stoppage time. The visitors leveled the score in the first minute of added time, and just a few minutes later completed the comeback with a third goal, sealing the final 3-2 in their favor. Lens thus turned a deficit into a convincing victory with three goals in the last twenty or so minutes of the match.

The win gives the French side an excellent start to the season, while Slavia will regret the missed opportunity to record a valuable win despite the difficulties of playing with ten men.