Slavia Praha 2 - 3 Lens: Toppmöller’s changes turn chaos into three points in Prague

On September 10, 2026, Lens left Fortuna Arena with the kind of UEFA Champions League win that changes the temperature around a league-stage campaign. Slavia Praha 2 - 3 Lens, three points taken in Prague, and a match that flipped twice after the red card to Mikulas Konecny in the 49th minute.

D. Toppmöller’s side had the ball, the territory, and the bench impact. J. Trpišovský’s Slavia had the defiance. For long spells, that looked enough. Danijel Šturm scored in the 51st minute, assisted by Samuel Isife, then scored again in the 88th minute to put ten-man Slavia back in front. It should have been the story.

It was not. Abdallah Sima had levelled in the 73rd minute. Then Lens won it in stoppage time: Florian Thauvin scored in the 90+1st minute, assisted by Mezian Mesloub, before Ruben Aguilar scored in the 90+3rd minute. Deal done, but only after Lens had pushed the match to the edge.

The game turned on the red card, then on the bench

Both coaches started in a 3-4-2-1. Slavia Praha lined up under J. Trpišovský with J. Markovič in goal; T. Vlček, D. Zima and Š. Chaloupek in the back three; S. Isife, W. Nowak, M. Sadílek and O. Kubiak across midfield; E. Ayaosi and D. Šturm behind M. Chytil.

Lens matched them shape for shape. D. Toppmöller picked R. Risser; K. Antonio, I. Ganiou and S. Sagnan; M. Skóraś, A. Bulatović, A. Haidara and M. Udol; F. Thauvin and A. Sima behind F. Ivanović.

That symmetry mattered. The first half was about duels in the channels, second balls, and which wing-back line could pin the other deeper. Slavia did not control possession, but they had direct threat, 18 total shots by the end, and enough punch through Šturm to keep Lens honest.

Then came the hinge. Mikulas Konecny came on for David Zima in the 45th minute. A VAR card upgrade was confirmed in the 48th minute. Konecny was sent off in the 49th minute. Four minutes after entering, he was gone.

Slavia’s response was immediate and fierce. Šturm scored in the 51st minute, with Isife supplying the assist. That goal mattered beyond the scoreline. It gave Slavia a lead, gave the crowd a cause, and forced Lens to prove whether their possession had real teeth.

For a while, Lens looked heavy. Then Toppmöller changed the package.

Mezian Mesloub replaced Franjo Ivanović in the 61st minute. Ruben Aguilar came on for Michał Skóraś in the 62nd minute. Odsonne Édouard replaced Souleymane Sagnan in the 62nd minute. Those changes stretched Slavia in different ways. Mesloub gave Lens cleaner final-third passing. Aguilar added thrust and later the final blow. Édouard gave another forward reference point.

Ismaëlo Ganiou was booked in the 62nd minute for a foul, but Lens did not lose rhythm. Sima scored in the 73rd minute and the game seemed to have moved back toward the side with 63% possession and 26 shots.

Then Slavia punched again. Trpišovský sent on David Jurásek for Oskar Kubiak in the 76th minute, and Tomáš Chorý for Mojmír Chytil in the 76th minute. Toumani Diakité replaced Wiktor Nowak in the 82nd minute. Ivan Schranz came on for Samuel Isife in the 84th minute. Slavia were tired, short-handed, but still dangerous.

Šturm scored in the 88th minute. No embellishment needed. A second goal, a 2 - 1 lead, and for a moment Prague had its opening-night result.

Lens refused it. Thauvin scored in the 90+1st minute from Mesloub’s assist. Two minutes later, Aguilar scored in the 90+3rd minute. The two substitutes who changed the match were involved when it mattered most: Mesloub with the assist, Aguilar with the winner.

Why Lens found the answer

This was not an old European rivalry with decades of baggage. It was something more modern: a Champions League league-stage match where one night can decide the route to February. Lens now sit 10th on three points, inside the 1/16-finals places after one match. Slavia are 23rd, also in the 1/16-finals band for now, but with no points and a painful home defeat.

The numbers explain the pressure Lens built. They had 441 total passes to Slavia’s 264, 360 accurate passes to Slavia’s 190, and nine corners to six. They took 26 shots, eight on goal. That volume eventually told.

But it was not just volume. It was who produced it.

Thauvin was the constant. He had eight shots, three on target, and four key passes. He was not just floating around the attack; he was the Lens player most willing to take responsibility when the match became messy. His goal in the 90+1st minute kept Lens alive.

Mesloub’s cameo was decisive. On in the 61st minute, he finished with one assist and four key passes in 29 minutes. That is not a minor contribution. That is a substitute entering a Champions League match and changing the passing speed around the box.

Aguilar’s role was even sharper. Introduced in the 62nd minute, he scored in the 90+3rd minute and added two key passes. Toppmöller’s bench did not simply refresh Lens. It won the match.

For Slavia, Šturm was outstanding. Two goals, four shots, two on target, four key passes. In a team reduced to ten men from the 49th minute, that is an elite attacking return. Isife also mattered: the assist in the 51st minute, two key passes, and four interceptions before leaving in the 84th minute.

Match statistics

Key events

• 45th minute: Mikulas Konecny on for David Zima.
• 48th minute: VAR card upgrade confirmed for Mikulas Konecny.
• 49th minute: Mikulas Konecny shown a red card.
• 51st minute: Danijel Šturm scored for Slavia Praha, assisted by Samuel Isife.
• 61st minute: Mezian Mesloub on for Franjo Ivanović.
• 62nd minute: Ruben Aguilar on for Michał Skóraś.
• 62nd minute: Odsonne Édouard on for Souleymane Sagnan.
• 62nd minute: Ismaëlo Ganiou booked for a foul.
• 73rd minute: Abdallah Sima scored for Lens.
• 75th minute: Florian Sotoca on for Amadou Haidara.
• 75th minute: Junior Kadile on for Abdallah Sima.
• 76th minute: David Jurásek on for Oskar Kubiak.
• 76th minute: Tomáš Chorý on for Mojmír Chytil.
• 82nd minute: Toumani Diakité on for Wiktor Nowak.
• 84th minute: Ivan Schranz on for Samuel Isife.
• 88th minute: Danijel Šturm scored for Slavia Praha.
• 90+1st minute: Florian Thauvin scored for Lens, assisted by Mezian Mesloub.
• 90+3rd minute: Ruben Aguilar scored for Lens.

What it means

Lens have their green light in the league stage: three away points, five goals in the match, and proof that Toppmöller’s substitutes can decide European games. They were not flawless, because conceding twice to ten men will be part of the internal review, but they showed nerve.

Slavia will feel this for a while. Trpišovský got courage, threat and a big Šturm performance, but the red card in the 49th minute changed the workload completely. In this format, moral victories do not move the table. Slavia now need a response in their next Champions League match, while Lens travel onward with momentum and a very different pressure: turning a wild win into a platform.