Lens Draw With Charleroi in Preseason Friendly

Overview

• RC Lens played a 2-2 draw with Royal Charleroi in a preseason friendly, with Sima and Thorgan Hazard scoring for Lens and Guiagon and Romsaas scoring for Charleroi.
• Thorgan Hazard converted a penalty for his first goal since returning to the club and showed early signs of sharpness in tight spaces.
• Coach Dino Toppmöller rotated the squad by using a different starting eleven each half and experimented with a three-man defence to build tactical automatism.
• Defender Samson Baidoo left late with a left-thigh problem that the club described as a developing issue and that will be monitored ahead of the Trophée des Champions on 16 August.
• The match marked a strong fan return with a reported sell-out crowd of about 4,300 and continued the gradual reintegration of players returning from injury as Lens readies for competitive fixtures.