Five months after their last Ligue 1 game, OGC Nice were back at the Allianz Riviera for Sunday's top-flight opener against Lens. Amine Gouiri's debut double ensured the newly promoted visitors left empty-handed.

Perhaps not everything was perfect, but the important business got done in Le Gym's first league game of 2020-21. Lens had enjoyed a good pre-season, and the Aiglons suffered in the first half before putting in an improved performance in the second.

In short, they gave up a number of chances and struggled to create some of their own, but Gouiri and an alert Walter Benitez kept their heads above water.

Lens took control early on, and opened the scoring through Gaël Kakuta, who tucked away a penalty awarded after Ignatius Ganago's cross had struck Dante on the arm (0-1,11').

Ganago, who left Nice this summer, was involved in another menacing moment for Lens on 21 minutes, and when he connected with Florian Sotoca's ball, it looked like he would double the visitors' lead, but he failed to hit the target. That miss — and another by Simon Banza after the half-time break (69') — would end up costing Lens, and paying dividends for the Rouge-et-Noir.

Just after Ganago had missed, Gouiri certainly didn't: the summer signing from Olympique Lyonnais cleaned out the top corner of Jean-Louis Leca's goal to equalise (1-1, 24'). It was a delicious strike with which to open his Ligue 1 account.

After the break, goalscoring opportunities were rare. Coach Patrick Vieira brought on Dan Ndoye in place of Khéphren Thuram in a bid to up his team's goal threat, but it was Gouiri who provided the end product once again. After Pierre Lees-Melou won the ball back high up the pitch, he found Gouiri, who bent another collector's item beyond Leca (2-1, 75').

His quality finishing would have counted for less than three points had Benitez not intervened effectively in the last ten minutes. After stopping Banza one-on-one and a Corentin Jean shot (69'), he tipped over a Loïc Badé header (90') to secure the win.

Next up: a trip to Strasbourg, beaten 3-1 by Lorient this weekend, next Sunday (kick-off 17.00CEST).

The match in pictures :

Kasper Dolberg

The Aiglons celebrate Amine Gouiri's equaliser

Hassane Kamara

Morgan Schneiderlin challenges Facundo Medina

Amine Gouiri

Jordan Lotomba made his Nice debut on the right side of the defence

Gouiri bent in his second to win the game (75')

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