PARIS (AP) — Marseille was widely expected to be Paris Saint-Germain's main challenger in Ligue 1 this season, but Lens is the team to be reckoned with.
Coach Pierre Sage's unassuming side moved one point ahead of PSG at the top after a crushing 5-0 win at struggling Paris FC, which was promoted last season but is in 16th spot despite big investment.
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Lens's Wesley Said, center, celebrates with his teammates scoring a side goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Lens in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Lens's Wesley Said, center, celebrates with his teammates scoring a side goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Lens in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Strasbourg's head coach Gary O'neil stands on the sideline during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Marseille's Amine Gouiri scores his side's 2nd goal during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Banners protesting the club owner are placed on the stands during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Marseille's Mason Greenwood, right, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Marseille's goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli fails to save a penalty kicked by Strasbourg's Joaquin Panichelli (9) during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
While Lens celebrated another clinical performance, Marseille’s chaotic week continued with an equalizer conceded deep into stoppage time in 2-2 home draw with Strasbourg.
Marseille is 12 points behind Lens with 12 games left.
Unheralded Lens has won just one league title compared to nine for Marseille and a record 13 for PSG, and has no big-name stars.
Instead, Lens boasts efficient teamwork, self-sacrifice, slick counter-attacking and clinical finishing.
Wesley Saïd is not a household name, other than perhaps in the former coal-mining community of Lens, but the journeyman forward is peaking at the right time. He scored twice to reach 10 league goals for the first time in a season.
He opened the scoring from a cross in the 24th minute and then found the top-left corner with a firm shot from another cross in the 38th.
Saïd hit the post and Lens had two goals disallowed for offside in the first half. The domination continued after the break with France winger Florian Thauvin scoring a penalty before substitute forward Rayan Fofana netted twice late on.
Marseille led 2-0 after Amine Gouiri created one goal and scored the other. But Marseille's feeble defense fell apart and striker Joaquin Panichelli's rescued a point with a 97th-minute penalty.
“Once again we conceded a late goal (and) we wasted everything at the end,” Gouiri said. “When things happen a dozen times, it’s not the (tactical) choices of the coach, it’s us on the field.”
Fourth-placed Marseille is two points behind Lyon in third, having played one game more.
Fifth-placed Lille missed the chance to close the gap on Marseille after drawing 1-1 with Brest. Lille still has not won a league game in 2026.
Marseille's players were reeling from Roberto De Zerbi's departure on Wednesday, just days after a humiliating 5-0 loss at PSG.
The atmosphere was tense at Stade Vélodrome.
Both stands behind the goal were empty except for angry banners, with one urging American owner Frank McCourt and president Pablo Longoria in blunt terms to leave, along with the words "all of your projects go up in smoke! After all these wasted years.”
Nine-time French champion Marseille has not won a trophy since the now-defunct League Cup in 2012.
The fans who did turn up on Saturday booed the players onto the field.
Gouiri set up Mason Greenwood’s league-leading 14th goal of the season in the 14th minute. He neatly controlled the ball near the penalty with the outside of his foot and played a pass behind the defense for Greenwood to clip the ball in.
Gouiri curled in Marseille's second goal in the 47th after collecting a botched clearance from goalkeeper Mike Penders.
Sebastian Nanasi replied in the 74th before Marseille defender Emerson Palmieri clumsily gave away a penalty.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Lens's Wesley Said, center, celebrates with his teammates scoring a side goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Lens in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Lens's Wesley Said, center, celebrates with his teammates scoring a side goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Lens in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Strasbourg's head coach Gary O'neil stands on the sideline during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Marseille's Amine Gouiri scores his side's 2nd goal during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Banners protesting the club owner are placed on the stands during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Marseille's Mason Greenwood, right, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Marseille's goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli fails to save a penalty kicked by Strasbourg's Joaquin Panichelli (9) during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Jordan Stolz is 2 for 2. There's a chance 4 for 4 might not be far behind.
The American speedskating star added his second gold medal in two attempts at the Milan Cortina Olympics by sprinting to victory in the men's 500 meters on Saturday.
Stolz joined Eric Heiden as the only skaters to win both the 500 and 1,000 meters at the same Olympics. Heiden did it at Lake Placid in 1980, a full 24 years before the 21-year-old Stolz was born.
While Stolz has been wary about comparing himself to Heiden, who won a record five races nearly five decades ago, he hardly seems intimidated by the challenge.
Racing in the penultimate pairing, the Wisconsin native's time of 33.77 seconds gave him his second Olympic record in four days. He did the same while capturing the 1,000 meters on Wednesday.
Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands took silver, just as he did in the 1,000. Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil got the bronze in 34.26.
Next up for Stolz is the 1,500 meters on Thursday, and the mass start on Feb. 21.
The party in Brazil this week isn't limited to the annual Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro.
Alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen delivered the first gold medal by a South American athlete at the Winter Olympics by surging to victory in the giant slalom.
The 25-year-old, whose father is Norwegian and mother is from Brazil, posted a two-run time of 2 minutes, 25 seconds, beating defending champion Marco Odermatt of Switzerland by 0.58 seconds. Odermatt’s teammate, Loic Meillard, earned bronze on the snowy and slippery Stelvia course.
“I was skiing with my heart, and when you ski the way you are, anything is possible,” Pinheiro Braathen said. "The only thing that matters to me is that I remain who I am. I am a Brazilian skier who became an Olympic champion.”
Austria's Janine Flock 's long road to Olympic gold is over. The 36-year-old skeleton slider — winless in 16 all-time appearances at the Olympics or world championships — won gold at the Cortina Sliding Centre, the biggest victory of her long career.
Flock jumped to the front during her first run and stayed there throughout the competition. She navigated four runs in 3 minutes, 49.02 seconds. Susanne Kreher and Jacqueline Pfeifer, both of Germany, took silver and bronze.
“I can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real right now,” Flock said. “It’s a dream to do this.”
Flock has enjoyed plenty of success through the years. She's a three-time World Cup overall champ and has multiple medals from the world championships. Just never gold. Not until Saturday.
Pfeifer's bronze made her the second woman to win multiple Olympic skeleton medals. She was the silver medalist in Pyeongchang eight years ago.
Jens van ’t Wout of the Netherlands won the gold medal in 1,500-meter short track speedskating, adding to his Olympic haul after winning gold in the 1,000 earlier this week.
South Korea’s Daeheon Hwang took the silver medal and Roberts Kruzbergs of Latvia was third for bronze as Canadian short track star William Dandjinou had to settle for fifth.
Van ’t Wout raised his arms after crossing the line in 2 minutes, 12.219 seconds and immediately skated over to a sea of orange-clad teammates to share hugs at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Hwang, the gold medalist in the 2022 Beijing Games, finished in 2:12.304.
Jakara Anthony produced another gold in freestyle skiing for Australia, winning in the Winter Olympics debut of dual moguls.
Anthony avoided mistakes during all five of her single-elimination races to win the second gold of her career — he was the Olympic champion in individual moguls four years ago — and second gold for Australia in Livigno. Countryman Cooper Woods upset Mikael Kingsbury in the men's individual moguls early in the Games.
American Jaelin Kauf took silver, the third medal of that color of her Olympic career. Teammate Elizabeth Lamely, who won gold in individual moguls earlier this week, earned bronze.
Domen Prevc of Slovenia soared through the raindrops to take gold in the men's large hill ski jumping competition.
Prevc was in second place with one jump remaining. He saved his best for last, flying a staggering 464 feet (141.5 meters) — the best of the night — to move ahead of Japan’s Ren Nikaido and Kacper Tomasiak of Poland.
The 26-year-old didn't feel much pressure heading up the hill one last time. He leaned into the joy of the sport he discovered while following in the footsteps of his older siblings.
“Even for the second round, I was like, ‘do your thing, do your best, enjoy the jump and feel the air,’” he said. “When I did a really good take-off, I was super happy and I could just enjoy the air."
Maren Kirkeeide's first Olympic biathlon race ended with a dismal 49th-place finish early in the Games.
Her second went far, far better.
The Norwegian earned gold in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint, clearing all 10 of her shots before crossing the finish line in 20 minutes and 40.8 seconds, just ahead of Oceane Michelon of France 3.8 seconds back. Lou Jeanmonnot missed one but held on for the bronze, 23.7 seconds back.
“I wanted to try my best, and I got some positive feedback from the coaches, and then I got some extra motivation, and it helped me all the way to the finish line,” Kirkeeide said.
Jeanmonnot now has a full set of medals in Italy. She took silver in the 15-kilometer individual race and was part of France's gold medal-winning mixed relay.
A snapped ski binding by Sweden created an opening in the women's cross-country relay. Norway was more than happy to zip through it.
The Norwegians pulled off a stunner to claim gold in a discipline dominated by the Swedes. Sweden entered the race having won seven out of nine possible medals so far up at the course in Tesero.
The Swedes were leading during the second leg when Ebba Andersson broke her binding and fell. Forced to ski with just one ski at one point, she lost valuable time.
Norway finished the 4 x 7.5-kilometer race in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 44.8 seconds, 50 seconds ahead of Sweden. Finland earned the bronze, more than a minute back.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen kisses his gold medal for an alpine ski, men's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Jordan Stolz of the U.S. competes in the men's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Jordan Stolz of the U.S. celebrates after competing in the men's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
