Lens started on the front foot as expected, first testing Yehvann Diouf in the tenth minute, when Florian Sotoca’s dinked pass over the visiting defence was brought down by Goduine Koyalipou, only for the forward, the matchwinner last time out against Saint-Etienne, to be forced wide and see his shot blocked.
The hosts suffered a setback midway through the first half as Deiver Machado was forced off through injury and replaced a few minutes later by the arguably more attack-minded Angelo Fulgini.
Almost immediately after Fulgini’s introduction, Jordan Siebatcheu will perhaps feel that he should have at least troubled Lens goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, as Junya Ito’s corner was headed over from close range by the American.
Reims did get their noses in front on 33 minutes, however, as patient build-up play resulted in Sergio Akieme seeing his cross inadvertently sent back to him by Lens defender Juma Bah, with Akieme duly cutting the ball back for Keito Nakamura to guide it into the roof of the net.
To compound matters, Bah soon had to be withdrawn, having failed to sufficiently recover from a head knock sustained earlier in the half, with Malang Sarr taking his place.
Lens manager Will Still will have been looking for more attacking quality from his team heading into the second period, with nothing yet guaranteed. Indeed, an equaliser could have materialised less than a minute after the interval were it not for Hiroki Sekine’s block to thwart Sotoca.
There was no let-up in the action, as Fulgini’s cross then found Koyalipou, whose downward header was stopped by Diouf before Koyalipou fired the rebound over.
Sotoca was the next to go close, shaving the woodwork, and an effort by Lens midfielder Andy Diouf followed not long afterwards, with a drive that agonisingly trickled across the face of goal and wide. In another twist, Reims soon had an injury-forced change of their own to make as Amadou Kone was replaced by John Patrick on 64 minutes.
Lens continued to threaten after that switch, with substitute Wesley Saïd’s poor control preventing him from getting on the scoresheet, before Yehvann Diouf pulled off a double save to deny Anass Zaroury and Adrien Thomasson.
The points were sealed late on, however, when a breakaway by Nhoa Sangui was stroked home by Nakamura for his second of the night. Lens were finally sunk, and Reims ended their 13-game H2H winless streak. Meanwhile, the Sang et Or remain five points adrift of the top six.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sergio Akieme (Stade de Reims)