Lens secures a place in the Champions League and sends Nantes down

Teenage substitute Mezian Mesloub gave Lens a 1-0 win over Nantes in Ligue 1 on Friday, qualifying for next season’s Champions League while relegating Nantes to the second tier.

The result also keeps the Ligue 1 title race alive, with second-placed Lens the only team left to lead Paris Saint-Germain to the trophy.

16-year-old substitute Mesloub picked up a loose ball in the penalty area on his first touch in the 79th minute and fired home his second to break the deadlock on his Ligue 1 debut.

Lens are now assured of a top-three finish in Ligue 1 after moving nine points clear of fourth-placed Lille, with both teams having two games in hand.

The top three teams in Ligue 1 automatically qualify for the Champions League stage, while the fourth-placed team advances to the qualifying rounds.

Lens, whose budget is less than a tenth of Champions League finalist PSG, still has to play against the Parisians, who are three points ahead and have a game in hand.

After the win, the sold-out crowd of 38,000 stayed behind at Lens’ Stade Bollaert for extravagant celebrations, with the players being announced one by one on a spotlight-lit center circle with flaming fireworks.

Stopping PSG remains a golden opportunity, but Lens is also eyeing silver in the French Cup, with the final against Nice on May 22.

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Lens, the 1998 French champions, were the surprise package earlier this season when they reached the winter break at the top of the table.

Lens had three goals disallowed on Friday for offside or handball, as Nantes largely kept the ball at bay thanks to goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.

Nantes is now guaranteed to finish in the bottom two and be relegated from Ligue 1.

Club great Vahid Halilhodzic took over in March as the third coach of the season, but could not save the Canaries.

PSG play Brest at home on Sunday, but the victory in Lens has prevented the team from mathematically claiming a fifth straight title this weekend.

However, the much higher goal difference means that victory would virtually take first place.

Luis Enrique’s men will meet Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30 after beating Bayern Munich 6-5 in the semi-finals.

Published on May 9, 2026