Lens came from 2-0 down to beat 10-man Toulouse 3-2, with Ismaelo Ganiou heading in the stoppage-time winner after a furious second-half comeback at home. Toulouse had raced into a two-goal lead inside 13 minutes, but Lens overturned it with three unanswered goals and moved to within one point of Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Cristian Casseres Jr put Toulouse ahead in the sixth minute after Robin Risser let the shot slip through his fingers, and Seny Koumbassa doubled the lead in the 13th minute with a header. Four minutes later, Toulouse's task changed sharply when Yann Gboho was sent off for a high challenge after referee Jeremie Pignard consulted the VAR monitor, leaving the visitors to protect a lead they had carried to half-time.
Lens did not wait long after the interval to change the rhythm. Saud Abdulhamid headed in in the 61st minute, and Adrien Thomasson equalized within six minutes to level the match and set up a relentless finish. Lens finished with 42 total shots, a figure that reflected the pressure Toulouse were asked to survive for long stretches before Ganiou delivered from a corner in stoppage time.
The result also stretched Lens' recent advantage in the matchup to eight victories in 10 meetings with Toulouse. It came as Lens had the best home-point total in Ligue 1 this season, and it kept them in pursuit of PSG, who still hold a cushion with two games in hand. Toulouse, meanwhile, have won only twice in Ligue 1 since the start of February, a run that left little room for error once Gboho was dismissed.
The sides will meet again on Tuesday in the Coupe de France semi-finals, giving Toulouse a swift chance to answer a defeat that Lens earned the hard way. For now, the home side leave with the points, the late momentum, and the sense that the title race is still within reach.
