By Comfort Asemota
Lens reclaimed the top spot in Ligue 1 on Sunday with a commanding 2-0 victory over Nice, courtesy of a brace from Odsonne Edouard. The win saw Pierre Sage’s side overtake reigning French and European champions Paris Saint-Germain, moving to 37 points, one ahead of PSG, as the league heads into the winter break.
Lens, the surprise package of the season, had briefly ceded first place after PSG’s nervy 3-2 win over Metz on Saturday but quickly regained the summit with their sixth consecutive league win.
“We’ve been defending top spot for the last three matchdays and it was a great performance that we’ll try to maintain,” said Lens coach Pierre Sage.
“We’ll be celebrating Christmas in first place, which is wonderful for everyone in the area.”
Former Celtic and Crystal Palace striker Edouard opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a sublime header from Matthieu Udol’s cross, looping over goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf. Edouard doubled his tally on 57 minutes, again connecting with Udol at the back post, leaving Franck Haise’s struggling Nice to suffer another defeat.
The south-coast side have now lost nine consecutive matches across all competitions and face further challenges at home due to crowd restrictions following earlier disturbances. In late November, a group of ultras confronted the team outside their training ground, reportedly attacking some players.
Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Marseille moved back into third with a 1-0 win over Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome, thanks to an 82nd-minute winner from Mason Greenwood. Controversy marked the match, with two earlier Monaco goals disallowed for offside.
Lille, five points behind Lens, secured a thrilling 4-3 win over Auxerre, finishing with nine men on each side. Benjamin Andre’s 86th-minute winner completed a chaotic finale that included three goals and two red cards.
“Despite being outnumbered and trailing, we knew we could come back,” said Lille coach Bruno Genesio.
“This victory reflects my team well, even if there is still room for improvement.”
Meanwhile, Strasbourg were held to a goalless draw by Lorient, who climbed above Nice into 12th, and Lyon beat Le Havre 1-0 thanks to a Pavel Sulc strike.
