Sawt Falasteen - Lens hammer Auxerre thanks to Thauvin penalty double

Thauvin converted from the spot either side of the break as the northerners continued their good form from last season when they finished second in the table behind Paris Saint-Germain.

Last weekend, German coach Dino Toppmoeller won his first competitive game in charge of Lens, beating PSG in the French Champions Trophy.

Auxerre had defender Christ Massoko red carded in the first half for a foul on Lens attacker Abdallah Sima.

Thauvin, a World Cup winner in 2018, opened the scoring after just 12 minutes after Belgium under-21's midfielder Arthur Piedfort handled the ball in the hosts' box.

Thauvin's low finish sent the packed Stade Bollaert crowd wild before the visitors were down a man as Massoko was sent off 10 minutes before the interval.

Lens continued to dominate in the sun after the break as new boy Franjo Ivanovic opened his account for Les Sang et Or on 49 minutes.

The Croatia attacker fed Simo on the edge of the box before his attack partner returned the pass to find the 22-year-old, who smoothly finished past Mamadou Diop.

Five minutes later, Thauvin, 33, turned the provider, setting up winger Saud Abdulhamid before Danny Namaso cut the deficit just before the hour mark with a penalty of his own.

Defender Ismael Ganiou re-established a three-goal cushion with 24 minutes left, then Lamine Sy claimed a consolation for Auxerre before Thauvin slotted his second penalty two minutes from time.

Later on Saturday, newly-promoted Le Mans, backed by a consortium including Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and tennis star Novak Djokovic, host Brest in their first top-flight game since 2010.

Troyes, Ligue 2 champions, play Paris FC in Liam Rosenior's first league game in charge of the side from the capital city.

Champions Paris Saint-Germain begin their tilt at a record-extending 14th French top-flight title at Rennes in the pick of Sunday's matches.

On Friday, Algeria attacker Amine Gouiri scored twice in 20 minutes as Marseille beat Strasbourg 4-0 in the opening game of the campaign.

Replacement Keyliane Abdallah and midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made sure of the three points for Bruno Genesio's side late on to extend Marseille's unbeaten league run over the Alsatians stretching back to 1997.

Z.AbuSaud--SF-PST