Lens Reclaim Ligue 1 Summit as Marseille Thrash Angers

Lens returned to the top of Ligue 1 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over struggling Auxerre on Saturday, while Marseille emphatically bounced back to winning ways with a 5-2 success away at Angers to remain in touch with the league leaders.

Reigning French and European champions Paris Saint-Germain had moved to the summit on Friday night following an Ousmane Dembélé-inspired 3-0 home win over Lille. However, Lens responded less than 24 hours later, extending their winning run to 10 matches in all competitions thanks to a second-half strike from Wesley Saïd at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Saïd’s eighth league goal of the campaign proved decisive for Pierre Sage’s side, restoring their one-point advantage at the top of the table and securing a 14th league victory of the season.

Having found themselves outside first place for the first time since early December, Lens began the contest cautiously. Saud Abdulhamid tested Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Léon inside the opening 10 minutes, before the home crowd appealed in vain for a penalty when captain Adrien Thomasson went down in the area while attempting a shot.

Auxerre came closest to opening the scoring before the interval, with Naouirou Ahamada’s effort drifting narrowly wide of the post on the stroke of half-time.

Sage later admitted concern over Lens’ recent habit of starting matches slowly.

“I don’t think we are running out of steam, because otherwise we wouldn’t be able to react the way we did in the second half,” he said. “But these are signs that need to be taken seriously.”

Whatever was said in the dressing room had the desired effect, as Lens emerged with greater intensity after the break. Heroic defending initially kept Wesley Saïd and Matthieu Udol at bay, but the breakthrough eventually arrived in the 65th minute.

Saïd demonstrated superb composure and technique by controlling Malang Sarr’s cross on his chest inside the box before rifling a left-footed finish past Léon.

Auxerre responded positively, with Lamine Sy firing narrowly over the bar shortly after the goal, but Lens continued to press for a second. World Cup winner Florian Thauvin went close inside the final 20 minutes, while Léon produced an excellent fingertip save to deny the hosts.

Lens wasted further late chances, most notably when Mamadou Sangaré blazed over from close range in the dying moments, but their profligacy was not punished as they saw out the victory.

The defeat leaves Auxerre 17th in the table, four points adrift of safety.

Marseille Stay in the Hunt with Emphatic Angers Win

In Sunday’s late match, Marseille kept pace with the leaders by cruising to a 5-2 victory over mid-table Angers.

Roberto De Zerbi’s third-placed side produced a blistering first-half display, with goals from Amine Gouiri, Mason Greenwood, Hamed Traorè and Timothy Weah effectively deciding the contest before the interval.

Amine Sbaï pulled one back for Angers in first-half stoppage time, but the outcome was already beyond doubt. The second half produced just two late goals as Marseille comfortably coasted to their first Ligue 1 victory of 2026, remaining eight points behind Lens.

Elsewhere, Toulouse inflicted further misery on free-falling Nice with a dominant 5-1 win, leaving the south coast club just four points above the relegation play-off places.