Lens top the table after Matchday 1

But who will stop Racing Club de Lens this season? While the senior team lifted the Coupe de France trophy on Friday night after an exceptional league campaign, it is now the youth academy’s turn to shine. The U17s wrapped up their opening day at the Festival d’Armor with two victories — a unique achievement that leaves them alone at the top of the standings after Matchday 1 of the U17 Challenge Crédit Agricole tournament.

First defeating SC Braga (1-0), the Artesians then overcame Le Havre AC later in the day (2-1), albeit with a touch of luck. The Sang & Or struck the decisive blow in the dying moments through a long-range shot deflected by a defender, leaving the Le Havre goalkeeper helpless. “It’s clearly not a deserved victory, but it’s a victory that matters,” the Lens coaching staff said with satisfaction.

Chasing the La Gaillette academy side is a pack of contenders (OGC Nice, Paris FC, Rennes, Senegal Armor), all determined to qualify during Matchday 2 this Sunday, when every team will play their third and fourth matches. At the end of the day, the top four teams will be known and will advance to Monday’s semi-finals. The remaining sides will contest placement matches.

Among the notable takeaways from the day was Stade Brestois’ average performance, with one draw (against Saint-Étienne) and one defeat (against Le Havre), though still better than Paris Saint-Germain’s showing. The young Parisians suffered two defeats in two matches, against Belgian side KAS Eupen (2-0) and Stade Rennais (1-0), dropping them to the bottom of the standings.

It is also worth noting that Portuguese club SC Braga — arriving this year as back-to-back defending champions (winners in 2025 and 2024, finalists in 2023) — have struggled to reproduce the ruthlessly efficient football for which they are known. They were caught out in their opening match by RC Lens (1-0) before bouncing back with a late-afternoon win over FC Lorient (2-1). The road to a third consecutive title still looks long.

Matches resume Sunday at 10 a.m. with a clash between Stade Rennais and Le Havre AC, as well as an all-foreign encounter between KAS Eupen and Scotland’s Glasgow Rangers.

In the U15 Paysages d’Iroise tournament, played across six partner municipalities, the opening matches did not yet reveal any clear favorites. However, Stade Brestois delivered a flawless start with two victories, against Nort AC and US Concarneau. Who will succeed EA Guingamp, the defending champions absent this year? The answer will come on Monday!