Monaco 2-1 Lens: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Ligue 1 Matchday 5 · Friday 18 September 2026 · Stade Louis II., Monaco · referee C. Turpin · full time
Full time: Monaco 2-1 Lens
Monaco beat Lens 2-1 in Ligue 1 Matchday 5 on Friday 18 September 2026 at Stade Louis II.. The goals: Paris Brunner 32', Matthieu Udol 57'.
How Monaco won it
The opening goal came in the 32nd minute: Paris Brunner for Monaco, set up by Matthis Abline. Lens levelled at 1-1 in the 57th minute through Matthieu Udol, set up by Florian Thauvin. An own goal by Jonathan Gradit made it 2-1 to Monaco in the 84th minute.
It was 1-0 at half-time.
The referee, C. Turpin, showed 2 yellow cards: 1 to Monaco and 1 to Lens.
Monaco: F. Kasmirski, 4-4-2 · Lens: Y. Cahuzac, 3-4-2-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 1.58 for Monaco and 1.33 for Lens.
Monaco had 6 shots on target, Lens 4.
Lens's goalkeeper made 5 saves.
Monaco had 50% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Monaco came into it with 5 Ligue 1 matches played, scoring 1.6 and conceding 0.6 a match, with 1.18 expected goals for and 1.48 against, and had won 80% of their matches.
Lens came into it with 6 Ligue 1 matches played, scoring 1.8 and conceding 1.7 a match, with 1.98 expected goals for and 1.81 against, and had won 33% of their matches.
Monaco vs Lens: the match in numbers
| Monaco | Match statistics | Lens |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | Ball possession | 50% |
| 1.58 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.33 |
| 9 | Total shots | 12 |
| 6 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 3 | Big chances | 2 |
| 531 | Total passes | 528 |
| 87% | Pass accuracy | 86% |
| 2 | Corners | 8 |
| 13 | Fouls | 11 |
| 3 | Offsides | 1 |
| 22 | Tackles | 16 |
| 3 | Saves | 5 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Matthieu Udol (Lens), rated 7.9 by Sportmonks, with 1 goal.
Monaco
- Vanderson 7.3
- Sadibou Sané 7.2
- Paris Brunner 7.1 1 goal
- Aleksandr Golovin 7.1
- Matthis Abline 7.1 1 assist
Lens
- Matthieu Udol 7.9 1 goal
- Florian Thauvin 7.3 1 assist
- Robin Risser 7.2
- Kyllian Antonio 6.9
- Andrija Bulatovic 6.8
The lowest-rated starter was Michaël Cuisance at 6.0. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Monaco: Monaco vs Toulouse Saturday 10 October 2026 · Ligue 1
- Lens: Lens vs Sporting CP Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Champions League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Monaco vs Lens
What was the score in Monaco vs Lens?
Monaco 2-1 Lens (half-time 1-0), Ligue 1, Friday 18 September 2026.
Who scored in Monaco vs Lens?
Paris Brunner 32', Matthieu Udol 57'.
Did Moneyball predict Monaco vs Lens correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Monaco vs Lens?
Matthieu Udol, rated 7.9 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Monaco vs Lens?
C. Turpin.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.