Lens beats Auxerre 5-2 and Lyon defeats Toulouse 2-0 in Ligue 1 opener

Lens dominates Auxerre in seven-goal opener

Lens opened their Ligue 1 campaign on Saturday with a 5-2 home victory against Auxerre at Stade Bollaert. Florian Thauvin, appointed captain for the 2026–2027 season, scored twice from the penalty spot in the 12th and 88th minutes and provided a chipped assist in the 54th minute. Auxerre suffered an early setback when defender Christ Makosso received a direct red card in the 35th minute. Franjo Ivanovic scored five minutes before Saud Abdulhamid converted Thauvin's cross, while 21-year-old defender Ismaëlo Ganiou added a fourth goal. Auxerre mounted a brief response with goals from Danny Namaso and Lamine Sy in the 69th minute before Thauvin sealed the win.

Squad adjustments under Dino Toppmöller

The match was the first league fixture for 45-year-old German coach Dino Toppmöller, who took charge after Lens finished as league runners-up last season. Lens had already defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 six days earlier to win the Trophée des Champions at Bollaert. Facing the suspension of Kyllian Antonio following his dismissal against PSG, Toppmöller chose not to reposition Matthieu Udol and instead selected 21-year-old Souleymane Sagnan in central defense following his loan spell at Caen. Sagnan partnered Ganiou, who made 29 appearances the previous year, helped win the opening penalty, and scored from a tackle inside the box. The fixture also marked the Auxerre debut of manager Will Still, who coached Lens two seasons ago.

Lyon secures away win in Toulouse

Lyon earned a 2-0 victory against Toulouse despite manager Paulo Fonseca resting several key starters. Fonseca rotated his squad to preserve players for Lyon's upcoming Champions League playoff return leg against Turkish side Fenerbahçe. Goalkeeper Rémy Descamps made multiple saves to keep Toulouse off the score sheet under the observation of Fabien Barthez, the incoming goalkeeper coach for Zinédine Zidane with the French national team. Lyon broke the deadlock through Noah Nartey in the 67th minute before Malick Fofana added a second goal in the 85th minute. The result gave Lyon three points to start their domestic campaign.

Promoted clubs Le Mans and Troyes earn draws

Le Mans marked their return to Ligue 1 after a 16-year absence with a 2-2 draw against Brest. The fixture served as the head coaching debut of Julien Lachuer, former assistant to late Brest manager Eric Roy, who was commemorated with tributes in stadiums across the country. Brest led through Romain Del Castillo before Dame Gueye scored in first-half stoppage time (45'+2) and Louis Mafouta added a second in the 55th minute to give Le Mans the lead. Kamory Doumbia equalised for Brest in the 62nd minute following a corner. Elsewhere, Troyes held Antoine Arnault's Paris FC to a 0-0 draw at the Stade de l'Aube, where Paris FC wore last season's white away kit. Nice struggled against Lorient, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain prepared to close the opening round at Rennes on Sunday.