Lens suffered a historic 1-9 drubbing by Como on Wednesday in the Champions League, leaving 2018 World Cup winner Samuel Umtiti baffled by the team’s surrender.
Umtiti described the match as a waking nightmare for Lens, saying they never seized control. While he praised Cesc Fàbregas’ side for its clear superiority, the former defender condemned the Sang et Or for their passive, unresponsive display.
We shouldn’t see such a disparity.
“Como were technically spot‑on, but I saw some disgraceful attitudes,” Umtiti told RMC’s After Foot. “I recall a Nico Paz cross where Lens’ defence pretended the ball was lost and stopped playing. Yet Como kept attacking and scored. You can lose duels, but to quit before the opponent even mis‑controls the ball is unacceptable. In the Champions League you pay for that. Tonight was day and night between Como and Lens, and we shouldn’t see such a gap.”
9‑1 isn’t a football score. Can they avoid such a collapse next season?
Beside him, Daniel Riolo echoed the sentiment: “The difference is clear – 2‑1, 3‑1, 4‑1, but 9‑1 isn’t even a football score,” the pundit declared. “It’s so huge Lens owe us an immediate explanation before we cut them down and call them terrible.” For my money, Lens need a complete mental reset.
Coach Yannick Cahuzac replied, “I won’t give you long speeches or deep analysis. The score is massive. I’ll get straight to the point: humiliation is the word that comes to mind. We need to talk honestly and regain some pride before Sunday.”
He added, “We all have pride. We must look each other in the eye and address what’s wrong. I’m convinced we can do that and lift our heads by Sunday’s clash with Marseille.”