Lens Climb to Top of Ligue 1 with Thauvin Brace

Thauvin leads Lens to Ligue 1 summit

Florian Thauvin scores twice as Lens top Ligue 1 for the first time in 21 years. Lens beat Angers 2-1 to take top spot, PSG lose at Monaco.

Strasbourg missed the chance to move fifth as they lost 2-1 at home to Brest...

Florian Thauvin scored twice as Lens climbed to the top of Ligue 1 for the first time in 21 years with a 2-1 win over Angers. This puts Lens one point ahead of PSG, who surprisingly lost 1-0 to Monaco yesterday.

Lens are top of Ligue 1 for the first time since 2004, but coach Pierre Sage is keeping things level-headed. Marseille could've taken over the top spot, but a 2-2 draw with Toulouse keeps them third.

“We're very happy that it's happened, but despite everything, on a CV, being top after 14 matches doesn't secure you a job, I would imagine,” he said.

“We're going to aim to keep progressing, to manage our matches better so that we don't feel at the end that everything is difficult for 10 or 12 minutes,” he added, criticising his team for having wobbled when leading 2-0.

Florian Thauvin scored a stunning goal just before HT, a left-footed rocket that left Angers' goalkeeper Melvin Zinga stunned. He sealed the win with a deflected shot 17 minutes from time, again beating Zinga.

But just three minutes later, Harouna Djibirin gave the hosts a lifeline, slotting home the rebound after Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser pulled off a fine save to deny Prosper Peter.

Lens had VAR to thank for holding onto the victory as the television match official overturned a late penalty award to Angers.

LENS IS THE NEW LIGUE 1 LEADER! 🥇👏 pic.twitter.com/GQah6EdPdi

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 30, 2025

It was a fourth straight league win for Lens and seventh in their last eight matches.

Florian Thauvin's resurgence continues. The 2018 World Cup winner has rediscovered his form at Lens, after overcoming a tough period with injuries and being somewhat of a forgotten man. His strong start at Lens, who he joined this season, earned him a France recall in October.

The forward even scored on his first France appearance in six years after replacing Kylian Mbappe against Azerbaijan.

Elsewhere, Moroccan Hamza Igamane scored the winner two minutes from time to send Lille up to fourth with a 1-0 success at Le Havre.

Strasbourg missed the chance to move fifth as they lost 2-1 at home to Brest, while lowly Lorient moved out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 success over out-of-sorts Nice, who lost for the sixth time in a row in all competitions.

Lens take over Ligue 1! 🔥🟡🔴 pic.twitter.com/JsjZpmOeIe

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 30, 2025