Saïd double sees Lens close season in style
Against a Lyon side needing a win to secure Champions League football, RC Lens were merciless in dispatching the hosts, 4-0, on the final day of the Ligue 1 McDonald's season. Catch up on all the action from Groupama Stadium with our recap.
Lens start strong
Needing to better Lille's result to climb over Les Dogues and seal a direct place in the Champions League league phase next season, Lyon were ready for battle at home on an emotional night in which they marked the passing of club legend Fleury Di Nallo. Playing a 4-3-1-2 similar to the side that beat PSG, Paulo Fonseca fielded a strong side with the in-form attacking duo of Endrick and Afonso Moreira up top. Lens, playing on short rest and possibly with one eye on the Coupe de France final on Friday, rested several key players, including Odsonne Édouard, Robin Risser and Mamadou Sangaré.
Despite not being at full strength, though, Pierre Sage's side were well up to the task. Dominant for the first twenty minutes, Le Sang et Or finally broke the deadlock after a missed clearance at the back found Wesley Saïd, who promptly arrowed a shot across goal to beat Dominik Greif. Twelve minutes later, Saïd was at it again, beating Greif at his near post after an inch-perfect through ball from Amadou Haidara. In first-half stoppage time, Florian Sotoca would add to the hosts' misery with a clever finish to make it 3-0, the veteran enjoying himself in a rare start.
Real gem from Florian Thauvin 💎 pic.twitter.com/seq4ehKmwM
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 17, 2026
Thauvin seals the result with a bit of class
With the visitors ahead by a large margin, the match necessarily dropped in intensity, but it would produce a stunning goal from Florian Thuavin, who cleverly let a ball over the top from Andrija Bulatovic run before lashing it past Greif to make it 4-0, all but putting the game out of reach. Roman Yaremchuk would hit the bar with an effort from close range (58') but Lyon would come no closer.
Even with Lille surprisingly losing at home to Auxerre, 2-0, Lyon remained in fourth place, and will now enter next season's Champions League in the playoff rounds. Given the club's mass exodus over the summer, most will count this as a successful season for Les Gones, who also reached the knockout rounds of the Europa League. As for Lens, after Paris Saint-Germain's derby loss, they finish the season in second place, six points back and primed for a place in the league phase of Europe's biggest competition.
