Lens secures Champions League return, Nantes relegated

RC Lens guaranteed their return to the Champions League next season with a slender victory over FC Nantes on May 8, 2026. The match took place at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Lens triumphed with a single goal scored by 16-year-old midfielder Mezian Mesloub, who netted the decisive point shortly after coming on for his professional debut.

This victory not only marked a significant achievement for Lens, who had been absent from the tournament for three years, but also confirmed the relegation of Nantes to Ligue 2.

In other football news, Chelsea was looking to end a six-match losing streak against Liverpool in an upcoming match, while Liverpool aimed for a top-four finish. Additionally, Real Madrid faced challenges ahead of their matchup against Barcelona due to a fine imposed on players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni for an incident involving the two players. Barcelona maintained a comfortable eleven-point lead over Madrid in the league standings, placing them in a strong position to retain their title with a win in their next game.

In cycling, French rider Paul Magnier sprinted to victory during the opening stage of the men’s Giro d'Italia on the same day, following a crash that took out a significant portion of the peloton. In women's cycling, Anna van der Breggen of the Netherlands surged into the lead of the Vuelta a España after winning the penultimate stage in Asturias.