PSG Extend Lead As Lens Narrow Title Race Following Nantes Relegationnewsline24

Lens edged Nantes 1-0 in Ligue 1, moved closer to Paris Saint-Germain, and pushed Nantes down to Ligue 2, yet head coach Pierre Sage still accepted that PSG will retain the title despite Lens closing the gap and securing at least second place.

The result leaves Lens three points behind PSG, but Luis Enrique’s side can reopen a six-point lead by beating Brest on 10 May, with both teams then having two fixtures left, while Opta’s model gives PSG a 99.3% chance of finishing champions.

Sage underlined that Lens are now certain to end the Ligue 1 season in the top two and will return to the Champions League, after exiting at the group stage in 2023-24, and attention is already shifting to domestic cup ambitions as well as league position.

Speaking after the final whistle, Sage outlined Lens’ priorities and also acknowledged PSG’s advantage in the Ligue 1 title race, saying: “The Champions League is good; second place is validated and now we have to win the Coupe de France. We tried to push PSG to their limits. We missed a few chances in the season; we were not perfect. Congratulations to them, they won the title, I think.”

The decisive moment against Nantes came from 16-year-old Mezian Mesloub, who replaced Abdallah Sima in the 79th minute and struck with Mesloub’s very first touch, securing victory at Stade Bollaert-Delelis and creating a personal milestone in Ligue 1 history.

Mesloub, aged 16 years and 181 days, is now Lens’ third-youngest Ligue 1 scorer across the last 75 years, behind Richard Krawczyk and Michel Margottin, who both found the net slightly earlier in their careers, highlighting how unusual Mesloub’s contribution is at this level.

The teenager also shared the celebrations with supporters after full-time at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Lens fans responded to the club’s Champions League return and the narrow Ligue 1 title chase, while Mesloub fronted the traditional applause in a memorable moment.

Ligue 1 relegation battle for Nantes and Lens impact

For Nantes, the same match brought a very different outcome, with relegation confirmed after 13 consecutive seasons in Ligue 1, and head coach Vahid Halilhodzic left the post-match press conference early, showing visible distress as the scale of the drop became clear.

Asked about Nantes’ return to Ligue 2, Halilhodzic replied: “Deep sadness… I am no longer able to speak. It’s not that I refuse, but I’m not capable. We are all sad, for Nantes, for all of us. It’s very difficult, excuse me.”

The night therefore reshaped both ends of the Ligue 1 table, giving Lens Champions League certainty and a narrow chance of overtaking PSG, while Nantes now prepare for life back in Ligue 2 after 13 years, with Halilhodzic and the squad left to absorb a painful setback.