Montpellier enhanced their impressive early-season league position, by beating fellow newcomers Lens, 1-0 at the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday.
MHSC would enjoy huge share of the ball early on, though it would take a strong intervention by Emir Spahic to stop Abdoulrazak Boukari from finding the net for the guests early in the game. Chances would largely be scarce, with a thumping free kick from Alberto Costa finding the visiting crossbar midway through the period.
It was a scrappy match, though, and an error from Fabien Laurenti presented Romain Pitau with a first-time shooting chance that only narrowly missed the target.
Indeed, Lens were contriving to be their own worst enemies, with Alaeddine Yahia nearly putting the ball past his own goalkeeper before Victor Hugo Montano tumbled in the box under a challenge from the usually reliable Nenad Kovacevic. Costa has barely wavered this season, and he slammed home the opening goal of the game from the spot.
The second period was similarly close, though Montpellier always looked in control of proceedings. Their industry was impressive, and when Montano pounced on a mistake in the middle of the field to setup Karim Ait-Fana, the attacker might have been just a little more clinical.
Free kicks saw Lens’ best chances of the second period, but Montpellier defended stoically to claim another set of three points.