adminRC Lens boss delivers verdict on Sunderland and what went wrong for his side in defeat
Sunderland secured a 2-0 victory over RC Lens in Saturday’s pre-season friendly at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, impressing Lens boss Dino Toppmöller, who described the Black Cats as a “top quality” outfit.
Toppmöller took over as Lens head coach this summer, replacing Pierre Sage, who departed for Sunderland’s Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.
The first half was tightly contested, with Sunderland edging the chances and Thomas Meunier seeing a goal ruled out just before the break.
Lens started the second period brightly, but Sunderland soon took command and ultimately claimed a well-deserved win through strikes from Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor.
Reflecting on the match, Toppmöller said: “They’re a good Premier League team, and it was clear they were top quality. The first half was balanced, but we were pressing too early with our wing-backs and left ourselves exposed.
After the break, we began well for 15 minutes, but then became too passive defensively. For the first goal, we were poorly positioned on the cross; for the second, we made a pressing mistake.
We also lacked composure on the ball and struggled to find spaces, especially when switching play—something we need to do more often. Overall, we’ve had a strong preseason, even if this result isn’t ideal. There were positives to take, but also areas to improve.”
Toppmöller also confirmed he gave first-team players minutes earlier in the day, while a younger Sunderland XI lost 4-1 to CS Avion.
Lens now turn their attention to the Trophée des Champions this week, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain to kick off their competitive season.
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