Lens sack coach after 9-1 defeat to Como in Champions League

Lens have sacked coach Yannick Cahuzac less than a week after their 9-1 Champions League defeat at home to Como, a source close to the French club told AFP on Tuesday, confirming a report from sports daily L’Equipe. Cahuzac, who was appointed by Lens less than two months ago, lost his job after the French Cup winners’ humiliating loss to Como last Wednesday, as well as a subsequent 2-1 reversal at their Stade Bollaert-Delelis home against Marseille on Sunday in Ligue 1.

“We feel like we’re in a bad way. We feel that Wednesday’s result has left its mark,” Cahuzac admitted after the match against Marseille. “We’ve managed to pick ourselves up. But we’ve got quite a few gaps in the team, and we feel we’ve lost our confidence.” The former Lens captain took over from Dino Toppmoeller in mid-September following the German coach’s surprise departure after just four Ligue 1 matchdays.

In nine matches in charge of Lens, Cahuzac has secured just three wins and suffered six defeats across all competitions as Lens lounge in 11th place domestically. Crucially, the 41-year-old has failed to pick up a single point in Europe, losing to Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge, as well as the Como thrashing — the joint record for the biggest winning margin in the modern Champions League.

“In front of our fans, here at Bollaert, this is unacceptable,” Lens chairman Joseph Oughourlian told Ligue 1+ on Sunday, adding that he had had the words “never again” painted on the walls of the changing room. Last season under current Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage, Lens won the French Cup and finished second in the league behind Paris Saint-Germain.