DÉCINES-CHARPIEU, France (Interstat) — Racing Club de Lens dismantled Lyon 4-0 on Sunday at Groupama Stadium, delivering a dominant season-opening performance that far exceeded expectations.

Lens wasted no time asserting control. Wesley Saïd opened the scoring in the 20th minute, then struck again in the 32nd minute to put the visitors up 2-0 before halftime. Florian Sotoca added a third goal in first-half stoppage time, sending the home side into the break trailing by three. Florian Thauvin completed the scoring in the 53rd minute.

The victory gave Lens a 1-0 record in Ligue 1 and across all competitions. Lyon fell to 0-1 in the league and overall.

Saïd’s brace was the top individual performance, as he twice beat Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri with clinical finishes from inside the box. Sotoca’s goal came on a rebound after a corner, while Thauvin capitalized on a defensive miscue to finish from close range.

The match featured five yellow cards. Lyon defender Malang Sarr was booked in the fifth minute. Lens’s Saud Abdulhamid received a caution in the 27th minute. Pavel Šulc was shown a yellow card in the 63rd minute, Ruben Aguilar in the 73rd minute and Nidal Čelik in the 83rd minute.

Lyon’s defense struggled all evening, unable to contain Lens’s attacking trio. The home side managed few clear chances, with most of their attempts from distance sailing wide or being saved by Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Racing Club de Lens 2, Lyon 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Lyon with an 88.60 percent probability to win.