The French League served up a weekend full of surprises. While some teams soared, others faced tough realities. Perhaps the biggest shock came when Lens emphatically halted Lille’s hopes of snatching the top spot, even if just for a day.
Lens put on a show, defeating a strong Lille side by a commanding 3-0 margin. Wesley Said opened the scoring in the 28th minute, setting the tone. Florian Thauvin doubled the lead just before halftime, hitting the net in the 43rd minute. Rayan Fofana then sealed the deal early in the second half, finding the back of the net in the 52nd minute. This was quite an unexpected result against a team widely seen as a title contender. Portuguese player Félix Correia was in the starting lineup for Lille.
This outcome kept the league table tight at the top. Paris Saint-Germain, who played Marseille on Sunday, remained leaders with a perfect 12 points. Paulo Fonseca’s Lyon also sat on 12 points after five matches. Lille, now in third place with 10 points, faced pressure from Monaco and Strasbourg, both holding nine points. Monaco was set to host Metz on Sunday, while Strasbourg visited Paris FC.
Meanwhile, Luís Castro’s Nantes continued their search for a first victory. They managed to snatch a single point at home against Rennes, but it was a dramatic affair. They clawed back from a two-goal deficit, scoring deep into injury time to earn the draw.
Rennes had taken control early. Ludovic Blas converted a penalty in the 29th minute, and Esteban Lepaul extended their lead to 2-0 in the 35th minute. Portuguese international goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was in goal for Rennes, watching the goals go in. Nantes showed some fight in the second half. Junior Mwanga pulled one back in the 64th minute. The real drama unfolded in added time. Matthis Abline missed a penalty for Nantes in the 90+2 minute, but Moroccan forward Youssef El Arabi came through, scoring the equalizer in the 90+6 minute.
After this hard-fought draw, Nantes found themselves in 14th place with just four points. Rennes, with eight points, sat higher up in seventh position.
Another notable result came from Brest. After picking up just one point and suffering three straight losses, they finally tasted victory. They routed Nice, featuring Tiago Gouveia, with a decisive 4-1 win. This big win pushed Brest up to 13th place, also on four points. Nice, with six points, dropped to 11th.
