Having been sacked by Lyon in January, Lens boss Pierre Sage would have been desperate to get one over his former employers, who were relieved to still be in Ligue 1 after winning their battle against administrative relegation.
The visitors produced the game’s first shot in anger when Corentin Tolisso’s near-post volley drew a strong stop from Robin Risser.
The hosts quickly responded with a promising chance of their own, with wing-back Deiver Machado fizzing a first-time shot past Remy Descamps' far post.
Momentum continued to swing back and forth until Lyon’s Georges Mikautadze found the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time, steering the ball home from Malick Fofana’s cutback to send the visitors into the break with a spring in their step.
Marauding midfielder Andy Diouf led Lens' quest for an equaliser after the restart, driving into the Lyon box before seeing his deflected strike clawed away by Descamps.
Wesley Saïd then dragged another promising chance wide under immense pressure from Clinton Mata, as the hosts continued to pile the pressure on Les Gones.
However, Lyon still posed a threat on the counter-attack, with Fofana forcing Risser into a smart save just moments after Lens had a penalty appeal waved away by referee Romain Lissorgue.
The visitors ultimately stood firm against Lens’ late attacks to seal maximum points and keep a clean sheet at Stade Bollaert-Delelis for the second season in a row. Meanwhile, Les Sang et Or continue their struggles on matchday one, having failed to win 12 of their last 15 Ligue 1 openers (D4, L8).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Remy Descamps (Lyon)
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