Match story
- Lens fired more attempts (20 vs 13 shots).
- Lens was more accurate in front of goal (60% on target vs 38%).
- Lens held more of the ball (66% possession).
Monaco defeated Lens 2-4 in Coupe de France. The fixture is part of the Round of 16 stage in the 2021 season. The match was played at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. E. Wattellier officiated the match. The full-time result capped a Lens vs Monaco meeting in Coupe de France with detailed post-match statistics available on Sportra. This match centre covers lineups, live events, player ratings, team statistics, xG, head-to-head history, and related news for Lens and Monaco. On Sportra you can view xG, lineups, match statistics, events, player ratings, predictions, head-to-head history, and related news for this fixture.
Coupe de FranceRecorded meetings: 1 (available previous meetings, not necessarily all-time).
Monaco
Mali's international Mamadou Sangaré is heading to the Premier League following a stellar season with french club Lens. He has officially joined Brentford in a landmark €48 million transfer, setting a new record sale for the French club.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews says club-record signing Mamadou Sangare "fits everything we want from a player". The Lens midfielder, who was included in Ligue 1's 2025-26 Team of the Year, has signed a five-year contract with a club option for a further year. Sangare made 33 appearances in all competitions last season, helping Lens to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 and to a first-ever Coupe de France title.
Benjamin Mendy has sold the replica 2018 World Cup trophy FIFA awarded him at auction. In 2018, Benjamin Mendy lifted the World Cup at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium as part of the France squad that beat Croatia 4-2 in the final. Seven years later, that gold-plated memory has a price tag: the left-back has sold the official replica trophy FIFA gave him as a champion for roughly $62,200 at auction. The sale went through American collectibles house Goldin as part of its “Global Football Auction Part 2,” a sale that also featured memorabilia tied to names like Lamine Yamal, Pelé, and Lionel Messi, and closed on July 25. The piece up for grabs wasn’t the actual World Cup trophy, which stays in FIFA’s possession, but the identical replica FIFA and the French federation hand every world champion as a personal keepsake, standing roughly 38 centimeters tall. It was listed with a crack at its base and visible wear, and the winning bidder received a certificate signed by Mendy to authenticate it. Mendy had a brief participation at the 2018 World Cup Mendy, now 32, played a bit-part role in that Russia 2018 run under Didier Deschamps, coming on for 40 minutes in a 0-0 group-stage draw with Denmark while Lucas Hernandez started every other match at left-back. Benjamin Mendy of France celebrates with the World Cup Trophy. (Getty Images) France‘s path to the title included wins over Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the quarterfinals, and Belgium in the semifinals before the final against Croatia. Mendy’s career: a fall from the top Mendy’s path to that World Cup medal ran through Le Havre, where he broke into the first team in 2011 after coming up through the reserves, before a move to Olympique de Marseille in 2013 for three seasons. He then joined Monaco, where he won the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title as part of the young squad that also produced Kylian Mbappé, and that breakout campaign earned him a move to Manchester City in 2017 for a then-world-record fee for a defender. His six years at City were repeatedly derailed by injuries and, later, a major legal setback that kept him out of football entirely for two years before he was cleared in 2023. City released him following that ordeal, and his career never recovered its old level: a brief, appearance-less spell at Lorient came next, followed by a short stint at Swiss side FC Zürich, before he signed with Poland’s Pogoń Szczecin in September 2025, where he currently plays.
Ferran Torres could be close to leaving Barcelona, potentially opening the door for a possible Julian Alvarez transfer from Atletico Madrid. The Julian Alvarez saga has taken on a new dimension, with reports out of Spain now suggesting that Ferran Torres’ future at Barcelona could be the piece that finally unlocks the Argentine’s move away from Atletico Madrid. With Ferran’s contract set to expire in 2027 and no renewal in sight, speculation is mounting that his exit could clear the path for Alvarez to head the other way. According to SPORT journalist David Bernabeu, the renewal offer Barcelona plan to present to Torres doesn’t fully satisfy the forward. Ferran believes he deserves greater recognition after two strong seasons, in which he finished with 40 goals and 10 assists combined. With his contract nearing its end, the forward’s situation is being closely tracked by several clubs. “Ferran knows that in a few months he could leave for free, and there are two clubs interested in him, above all, PSG and Atletico Madrid. The Atleti interest could be related to Julian, but as of today, I repeat, it seems most likely that he stays,” MARCA‘s Matteo Moretto explained. This situation could actually work in both clubs’ favor, since a potential Torres move to Atletico Madrid could open the door for Julian Alvarez to arrive at Camp Nou. The Argentine forward made clear during the 2026 World Cup that he wants a transfer, though Madrid’s stance remains that any deal would need to meet his €500 million release clause. Julian Alvarez celebrates a goal for Atletico Madrid. (Getty Images) However, Bernabeu noted that Barcelona don’t want to let go of Ferran Torres unless the forward himself requests to leave, and that the odds of the Spaniard staying or departing are now “50/50,” since the final decision rests with the player. Atletico Madrid’s players reportedly pushing for Torres to join The push for Ferran Torres to join Atletico Madrid isn’t only coming from the boardroom — it’s reportedly being driven from inside the locker room too. “I’ll tell you that there are also Atletico Madrid players who are very close friends with Ferran Torres who tell him every day, ‘hey, come here, you’re going to be our number nine, you’re going to be our idol.’ But well, there are still things pending,” Moretto said in his report for MARCA. PSG reportedly shift toward Maghnes Akliouche PSG have also been mentioned throughout this saga as suitors for both players, adding a third club into the mix around Ferran’s future and, separately, around Alvarez’s. However, the Parisians appear to have shifted direction in their pursuit of both forwards. PSG have reportedly made real progress on a separate deal for Maghnes Akliouche, with reports suggesting a fee close to €50 million to pry him away from Monaco. While Ferran and Akliouche could be seen as two targets PSG want simultaneously rather than one replacing the other, the advancing talks for the French forward could still be read as a signal that PSG’s priorities are shifting elsewhere in the final stretch of the window.
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