Lille, Lens move up Ligue 1 table with victories

Lille, the 2021 French champions, moved up to sixth in Ligue 1 on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Nantes that leaves them two points off the Champions League places.

In a congested top half of the table, the leading eight clubs are separated by only five points after eight matches.

Icelandic midfielder Hakon Arnar Haraldsson gave Lille and eighth-minute lead and also hit the post in the first half.

Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane sealed the victory a minute from time with a solo effort.

Lens climbed into the top four with a battling 2-1 win at home to newly-promoted Paris FC, a fourth match in a row without defeat.

Goals from Odsonne Edouard and Samson Baidoo, sandwiching an equaliser from Pierre Lees-Melou, gave the northerners the victory and took them level on points with third-placed surprise package Strasbourg.

PFC slumped into the bottom half with defeat.

Rennes drew for the fifth time in eight matches this season as Lassine Sinayoko's late penalty earned Auxerre a 2-2 draw.

The visitors had taken an early lead through Danny Namaso but Rennes dominated throughout and goals from Breel Embolo and Seko Fofana had looked to set them on their way to victory.

Lorient and Brest played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in Brittany.

The visitors had looked set to snatch victory with Romain Del Castillo's penalty four minutes from time, but just three minutes later, Sambou Soumano snatched a share of the spoils.

Rock-bottom Metz's chairman Bernard Serin gave his team a ticking off in the changing rooms after a 4-0 thrashing at Toulouse, who are eighth, the strugglers' coach Stephane Le Mignan revealed after the match.