2002–03 RC Lens season

The 2002–03 season was RC Lens's 97th season in existence and the club's 12th consecutive season in the top flight of French football. In addition to the domestic league, Lens participated in this season's editions of the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue.^{[citation needed]}

Lens

2002–03 season
President	Gervais Martel
Head coach	Joël Müller
Stadium	Stade Félix-Bollaert
Ligue 1	8th
Coupe de France	Round of 32
Coupe de la Ligue	Third round
Champions League	Group stage
UEFA Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Antoine Sibierski (12) All: Antoine Sibierski Daniel Moreira (13)
Average home league attendance	37,204[1]
← 2001–02 2003–04 →

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^{[2][citation needed]}

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  FRA Guillaume Warmuz (captain) 2 DF  FRA Éric Sikora 3 DF  CMR Rigobert Song 4 DF  MLI Adama Coulibaly 5 MF  FRA Jocelyn Blanchard 6 DF  POL Jacek Bąk 7 MF  FRA Antoine Sibierski 8 MF  MLI Seydou Keita 9 FW  FRA Tony Vairelles 10 FW  FRA Daniel Moreira 11 MF  FRA Stéphane Pédron 14 DF  SEN Ferdinand Coly 15 MF  SEN Pape Sarr 16 GK  FRA Sébastien Chabbert 17 DF  FRA Yoann Lachor 18 FW  FRA Olivier Thomert

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 MF  SEN Papa Bouba Diop 20 DF  FRA Zoumana Camara 21 FW  NGA John Utaka 23 MF  SEN Abdoulaye Faye 26 DF  FRA Cyril Rool 28 FW  CIV Dagui Bakari 29 MF  FRA Charles-Édouard Coridon 30 GK  FRA Charles Itandje 40 GK  FRA Guillaume Cherreau — GK  USA Joe Cannon — DF  FRA Rod Fanni — DF  GUI Daouda Jabi — MF  MAR Yazid Kaïssi — MF  MAR Abdelmajid Oulmers — MF  BRA Alessandro Furtado — FW  SEN Ibrahima N'Diaye

Competitions

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Ligue 1	3 August 2002	24 May 2003	Matchday 1	8th	38	14	15	9	43	31	+12	036.84
Coupe de France	4 January 2003	25 January 2003	Round of 64	Round of 32	2	1	0	1	3	3	+0	050.00
Coupe de la Ligue	7 December 2002		Third round	Third round	1	0	1	0	3	3	+0	000.00
Total					41	15	16	10	49	37	+12	036.59

Source: Competitions

Ligue 1

Main article: 2002–03 Ligue 1

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
6	Auxerre	38	18	10	10	38	29	+9	64	Qualification to UEFA Cup first round
7	Guingamp	38	19	5	14	59	46	+13	62	Qualification to Intertoto Cup third round
8	Lens	38	14	15	9	43	31	+12	57	Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round[a]
9	Nantes	38	16	8	14	37	39	−2	56	Qualification to Intertoto Cup third round
10	Nice	38	13	16	9	39	31	+8	55	Qualification to Intertoto Cup second round

Source: Ligue 1
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Lens qualified for the UEFA Cup qualifying round through the UEFA Fair Play ranking award.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	14	15	9	43	31	+12	57	9	7	3	29	16	+13	5	8	6	14	15	−1

Source: Ligue 1

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	D	D	W	D	W	L	W	L	D	W	D	D	W	L	W	L	L	D	W	L	W	L	D	D	D	D	W	W	D	D	D	D	W	L	L	W	W	W
Position	10	12	8	10	3	8	5	9	8	7	8	9	7	8	6	9	11	9	8	10	8	10	11	12	11	12	11	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	10	8

Source: Ligue 1
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Bastia v Lens

3 August 2002 1	Bastia	1–1	Lens	Furiani
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Armand Cesari

Lens v Sochaux

10 August 2002 2	Lens	1–1	Sochaux	Lens
17:15 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Sedan v Lens

17 August 2002 3	Sedan	0–1	Lens	Sedan
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Louis Dugauguez

Nantes v Lens

24 August 2002 4	Nantes	2–2	Lens	Nantes
17:15 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire

Lens v Monaco

31 August 2002 5	Lens	1–0	Monaco	Lens
17:15 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Lyon v Lens

10 September 2002 6	Lyon	1–0	Lens	Lyon
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade de Gerland

Lens v Rennes

14 September 2002 7	Lens	1–0	Rennes	Lens
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Bordeaux v Lens

21 September 2002 8	Bordeaux	1–0	Lens	Bordeaux
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Chaban-Delmas

Lens v Lille

28 September 2002 9	Lens	0–0	Lille	Lens
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Montpellier v Lens

5 October 2002 10	Montpellier	0–2	Lens	Montpellier
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade de la Mosson

Lens v Ajaccio

19 October 2002 11	Lens	1–1	Ajaccio	Lens
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Nice v Lens

26 October 2002 12	Nice	0–0	Lens	Nice
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade du Ray

Lens v Auxerre

2 November 2002 13	Lens	3–1	Auxerre	Lens
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Strasbourg v Lens

9 November 2002 14	Strasbourg	2–0	Lens	Strasbourg
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade de la Meinau

Lens v Paris Saint-Germain

17 November 2002 15	Lens	3–2	Paris Saint-Germain	Lens
20:45 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Marseille v Lens

23 November 2002 16	Marseille	1–0	Lens	Marseille
17:15 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Vélodrome

Lens v Guingamp

1 December 2002 17	Lens	1–3	Guingamp	Lens
18:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Troyes v Lens

4 December 2002 18	Troyes	0–0	Lens	Troyes
20:30 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade de l'Aube

Lens v Le Havre

15 December 2002 19	Lens	1–0	Le Havre	Lens
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Sochaux v Lens

20 December 2002 20	Sochaux	3–0	Lens	Montbéliard
18:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Auguste Bonal

Lens v Sedan

18 January 2003 21	Lens	4–0	Sedan	Lens
19:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Note: The match was originally scheduled for 10 January 2003, but was postponed.

Monaco v Lens

22 January 2003 23	Monaco	1–1	Lens	Monaco
20:30 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Louis II

Lens v Lyon

29 January 2003 24	Lens	2–2	Lyon	Lens
20:30 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Rennes v Lens

1 February 2003 25	Rennes	1–1	Lens	Rennes
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade de la Route de Lorient

Lens v Bordeaux

5 February 2003 26	Lens	3–3	Bordeaux	Lens
20:30 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Lille v Lens

8 February 2003 27	Lille	0–2	Lens	Lille
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Grimonprez-Jooris

Lens v Montpellier

22 February 2003 28	Lens	4–0	Montpellier	Lens
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Ajaccio v Lens

1 March 2003 29	Ajaccio	0–0	Lens	Ajaccio
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade François Coty

Lens v Nice

8 March 2003 30	Lens	0–0	Nice	Lens
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Lens v Nantes

14 March 2003 22	Lens	0–1	Nantes	Lens
20:30 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Note: The match was originally scheduled for 14 January 2003, but was postponed.

Auxerre v Lens

22 March 2003 31	Auxerre	0–0	Lens	Auxerre
20:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps

Lens v Strasbourg

5 April 2003 32	Lens	1–1	Strasbourg	Lens
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Paris Saint-Germain v Lens

12 April 2003 33	Paris Saint-Germain	0–1	Lens	Paris
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)			Moreira 46'	Stadium: Parc des Princes Attendance: 43,284 Referee: Bruno Ruffray

Lens v Marseille

20 April 2003 34	Lens	0–1	Marseille	Lens
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)			Leboeuf 33' (pen.)	Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis Attendance: 40,827 Referee: Pascal Garibian

Guingamp v Lens

3 May 2003 35	Guingamp	1–0	Lens	Guingamp
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade de Roudourou

Lens v Troyes

10 May 2003 36	Lens	1–0	Troyes	Lens
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Le Havre v Lens

20 May 2003 37	Le Havre	1–3	Lens	Le Havre
20:30 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Jules Deschaseaux

Lens v Bastia

24 May 2003 38	Lens	2–0	Bastia	Lens
20:30 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Coupe de France

Main article: 2002–03 Coupe de France

Forbach v Lens

4 January 2003 Round of 64	Forbach	2–3	Lens	Forbach
18:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade du Schlossberg Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Patrick Lhermite

Toulouse v Lens

25 January 2003 Round of 32	Toulouse	1–0	Lens	Toulouse
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	N'Doye 13' Bancarel 23'			Stadium: Stade de Toulouse Attendance: 21,526 Referee: Gilles Veissière

Coupe de la Ligue

Main article: 2002–03 Coupe de la Ligue

Beauvais v Lens

7 December 2002 Third round	Beauvais	3–3 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)	Lens	Beauvais
18:00 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stade Pierre Brisson Attendance: 6,045 Referee: Jean-Marc Bonnin

Champions League

Main article: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League

First group stage

Main article: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League first group stage § Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Milan	6	4	0	2	12	7	+5	12	Advance to second group stage
2	Deportivo La Coruña	6	4	0	2	11	12	−1	12
3	Lens	6	2	2	2	11	11	0	8	Transfer to UEFA Cup
4	Bayern Munich	6	0	2	4	9	13	−4	2

Source: RSSSF

Milan v Lens

18 September 2002 1	Milan	2–1	Lens	Milan, Italy
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Inzaghi 57', 61'	Report	Moreira 75'	Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 70,214 Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

Lens v Bayern Munich

24 September 2002 2	Lens	1–1	Bayern Munich	Lens, France
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Utaka 76'	Report	Linke 23'	Stadium: Stade Félix-Bollaert Attendance: 39,567 Referee: Lucílio Batista (Portugal)

Deportivo La Coruña v Lens

1 October 2002 3	Deportivo La Coruña	3–1	Lens	A Coruña, Spain
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Makaay 41' Capdevila 79' César 84'	Report	Moreira 10'	Stadium: Estadio Riazor Attendance: 24,734 Referee: Rune Pedersen (Norway)

Lens v Deportivo La Coruña

23 October 2002 4	Lens	3–1	Deportivo La Coruña	Lens, France
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Coulibaly 61' Moreira 79' Thomert 84'	Report	Makaay 15'	Stadium: Stade Félix-Bollaert Attendance: 37,982 Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia)

Lens v Milan

29 October 2002 5	Lens	2–1	Milan	Lens, France
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Moreira 41' Utaka 49'	Report	Shevchenko 31'	Stadium: Stade Félix-Bollaert Attendance: 39,474 Referee: Graham Barber (England)

Bayern Munich v Lens

13 November 2002 6	Bayern Munich	3–3	Lens	Munich, Germany
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	R. Kovač 6' Warmuz 19' (o.g.) Feulner 87'	Report	Fink 20' (o.g.) Bakari 54' Blanchard 90'	Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Paul Allaerts (Belgium)

UEFA Cup

Main article: 2002–03 UEFA Cup

Third round

Porto v Lens

28 November 2002 First leg	Porto	3–0	Lens	Porto, Portugal
22:30 CET (UTC+1)	Postiga 36' Derlei 45' Jankauskas 87'	Report		Stadium: Estádio das Antas Attendance: 32,041 Referee: Graham Poll (England)

Lens v Porto

12 December 2002 Second leg	Lens	1–0 (1–3 agg.)	Porto	Lens, France
21:15 CET (UTC+1)	Song 28'	Report		Stadium: Stade Félix-Bollaert Attendance: 35,026 Referee: Vladimír Hriňák (Slovakia)