Fabien Le Floc’h, Media365: published on Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 8:50 AM
RC Lens coach Pierre Sage admitted that his team had likely bid farewell to the Ligue 1 title by suffering a heavy defeat to Lille on Saturday (3-0) in the 28th matchday of Ligue 1.
At the worst possible moment, RC Lens may have played their worst match of the season on Saturday night at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. The Lens team collapsed against Lille (3-0), unable to react after Haraldsson’s goal before halftime (44th) and then penalized by monumental mistakes from Udol and Celik after the break (49th). Pierre Sage did not hide his disappointment after the match, referring to a “shipwreck” and the loss of “all battles, including coaching.”
PSG Pulls Away
“We completely missed our match, we had no bounce back,” explained the Lens coach in the post-match press conference. “I associate myself with this failure. It would be too easy to blame the players when things are going wrong, even though some attitudes displeased me. At times, we gave up. We need to banish such behaviors that are not like us.”
This defeat, the heaviest of the season in Ligue 1 for Racing, may be one too many in the title race with Paris Saint-Germain. This Sunday morning, Pierre Sage’s men are four points behind PSG, who defeated Toulouse on Friday night (3-1), with one more game played. With six matchdays left in the championship, the gap may be prohibitive, even though Lens will host PSG on May 13 at Bollaert.
Sage: “We’re looking in the rearview mirror”
Pierre Sage confirmed this feeling on Saturday night at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. “Is the title race taking a hit? Yes. It’s something that is being imposed on us, but we want qualification for the Champions League,” assured the former OL coach. “Since Lille gained three points back, we’re looking in the rearview mirror and we’ll need to step on the accelerator.”
After 28 matchdays, RC Lens still maintains a comfortable lead (nine points) over their Lille neighbors and the pursuing pack, consisting of Marseille, Lyon, Rennes, and Monaco. But they must not crumble in this final sprint for the Champions League anthem to play next season at Bollaert.
