København draw leaves Lens frustrated
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Article summary
RC Lens 1-1 FC København
The Danish visitors took the initiative in France as Jean-Pierre Papin's side had to come from behind.
Article body
After being denied a UEFA Champions League group stage berth by SL Benfica last month, FC København moved into a good position to take one in the UEFA Cup after a 1-1 draw away to RC Lens.
Early strike
Markus Allbäck gave the Danish side the perfect start by scoring the opening goal after five minutes. The Sweden international escaped the attentions of Fabien Laurenti before finishing past Vedran Runje. The home side had to wait until the last 20 minutes to level, with captain and full-back Yohan Demont the provider as his free-kick from just outside the penalty area supplied substitute Aruna Dindane to make it 1-1.
Papin perplexed
Despite earning a share of the spoils, Lens coach Jean-Pierre Papin was not satisfied with his side's performance. "We have paid dearly for a lack of concentration for five minutes. For the other 85 minutes we were better, which leaves us hopeful of scoring in the second leg. I cannot explain why my players started so poorly but I know we have to live with this. And we will go there as the Copenhagen team came here - with high motivation."
