Overview
- Lens secured at least second place in Ligue 1 with a 1-0 victory over Nantes, confirming a return to the UEFA Champions League.
- Mezian Mesloub, 16, scored with his first touch only 18 seconds after coming on for his first Ligue 1 appearance.
- Two earlier finishes by Saïd and Sima were ruled out before Mesloub’s strike settled a tense night at Bollaert.
- Mesloub is the son of Walid Mesloub, an assistant with Lens’s reserve team, who said on Ligue 1+ he felt immense pride and emotion after the debut goal.
- With senior forwards such as Florian Thauvin and Allan Saint-Maximin unavailable, the moment highlighted Lens’s academy depth and delivered the club’s fourth Champions League qualification.