Little Lens blossoming into serious rival for big spender PSG in Ligue 1 title race

PARIS (AP) — Lens has gone from surprise front runner to serious title contender in Ligue 1.

Despite having modest resources, coach Pierre Sage has done remarkably well to keep his side ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Cash-rich PSG clinched a record-extending 13th league title last season while Lens won its only title in 1998. But Lens pushed PSG close in 2022-23 and finished runner-up by one point.

Lens is one point ahead of PSG this season and eight clear of third-place Marseille going into this weekend's 18th round.

Sage’s side will be confident of a club record-extending 10th straight win in all competitions when it hosts next-to-last Auxerre on Saturday.

Excellent teamwork and a strong defense are hallmarks of Lens which has five clean sheets in the past nine games.

PSG has a tricky home match against fourth-placed Lille on Friday at Parc des Princes, just days after being knocked out of the French Cup at home by capital city rival Paris FC.

Inconsistent Marseille is at mid-table Angers on Saturday and can ill afford to drop any points with Lille level on points.

Erratic Monaco has tumbled to mid-table and needs to bounce back with a home win against Lorient on Friday.

Lyon fans will be hoping to see Brazil forward Endrick in action at home to Brest on Sunday.

Endrick is on loan from Real Madrid until the end of the season and scored on his club debut in the French Cup on Sunday.

After missing 14 games due to a shoulder injury, Marseille forward Amine Gouiri is finding form. He scored twice and provided one assist in a 9-0 French Cup win on Tuesday.

Nantes has earned a reputation for having a strong youth academy and Tylel Tati is the latest product. The 17-year-old central defender looked assured in a 2-0 win at Marseille and looks set to feature at home to Paris FC on Sunday.

Paris FC forward Jonathan Ikoné's neat finish knocked titleholder PSG — his former club — out of the French Cup. Ikoné has yet to score in the league.

Paul Pogba's move to Monaco is not working out as hoped and the former France midfield star remains sidelined by a calf injury.

The 2018 World Cup winner has also dealt with thigh and ankle problems since joining the club in the offseason, after more than two years out of the game in a career derailed by injuries, off-field problems and a doping ban.

Pogba hoped to relaunch his career in time to make France's squad for the World Cup but has so far played only 30 minutes in three substitute appearances.

Monaco's long injury list includes defender Mohammed Salisu (ACL), winger Ansu Fati (hamstring), goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky (knee) and winger Takumi Minamino (ACL).

Forwards Jérémie Boga and Terem Moffi are reportedly trying to terminate their contracts with Nice after being attacked by their own supporters following a game on Nov. 30.

After a 3-1 defeat at Lorient made it six straight losses, Nice players were confronted by a large number of angry Nice fans when they returned to the club’s training and academy center.

Boga and Moffi took blows to the head and groin and have since been on medical leave. According to sports daily L'Équipe, their case is being examined by the French league legal committee.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Fiorentina's Jonathan Ikone, left, celebrates with Christian Kouame after scoring the 2-0 goal during the Europa Conference League opening phase soccer match between Fiorentina and LASK at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy, Thursday Dec. 12, 2024. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP, File)

FILE - Monaco's Paul Pogba stands on the touchline as players warm-up before a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur in Monaco, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni, file)

Marseille's Amine Gouiri, right, and PSG's Marquinhos, left. battle for the ball during the French Super Cup soccer match between PSG and Marseille in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jaber Abdulkhaleg)

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique gives instructions during the French Ligue 1 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

FILE - Lens' head coach Pierre Sage celebrates with players after the French League One soccer match between Lens and Marseille in Lens, France, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker is asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Donald Trump's name to the historic performing arts venue.

In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent that the Kennedy Center is named for the late President John F. Kennedy — and no one else.

“Renaming the Kennedy Center for President Trump — without any authorization from Congress — undermines the Center’s raison d’être, and frustrates its purpose as the only memorial to President Kennedy in Washington, D.C.,” the motion argues.

Trump's handpicked board of directors voted in December to rename the venue as the Trump-Kennedy Center, arguing the current president deserved the recognition for his efforts to renovate the institution. But the move immediately drew protest from Democrats and some in the Kennedy family along with questions from scholars and historians about whether the move was legally permissible.

Beatty's motion argues that lawmakers have made clear at various points throughout the Kennedy Center's history that no other name should appear on the building.

“Congress was particularly sensitive that no other names appear on the Center's exterior walls, other than the signage designating the institution as a memorial for President Kennedy,” according to the motion.

A day after the board's December decision, Trump's name was added to Kennedy Center's facade, an iconic part of Washington's cityscape that rests on the banks of the Potomac River. The name change has also been reflected on the Kennedy Center's website and social media channels.

A central part of the capital's arts scene since it opened in 1971, Trump is closing the Kennedy Center this summer for a renovation that's expected to last for about two years. That is the subject of a separate legal effort as a coalition of eight cultural and historic preservation groups is suing to block further physical changes to the Kennedy Center.

Through her position in Congress, Beatty is an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center's board. A federal judge ruled earlier this month that she could participate in a board meeting but didn't force the board to allow her to vote on the closure.

Mindy Levine, left, listens as Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, talks before President Donald Trump arrives for a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)