Lens crushed by Lille as discriminatory chants halt play and Ligue 1 title hopes fade

Lens was overwhelmed by northern rival Lille 3-0 and lost ground in the Ligue 1 title race after the Derby du Nord was briefly interrupted because of discriminatory chanting on Saturday.

A day after Paris Saint-Germain increased its lead to four points by beating Toulouse 3-1, Lens endured an off night. PSG is in an ideal position to retain its league title as it has a game in hand over second-placed Lens going into the final rounds.

The game was halted in the 35th minute and the announcer at Stade Pierre-Mauroy urged the Lille fans to stop the insults hurled at their opponents. The referee threatened to take the players back to the dressing room.

After the game resumed, Matias Fernandez-Pardo delivered an assist and scored to guide his team to third place, nine points behind Lens.

Hákon Haraldsson put the host ahead just before the interval, finishing a swift move sparked by a long, precise pass from Lille captain Aïssa Mandi. Fernandez-Pardo burst down the left flank then slipped the ball between two defenders and found the unmarked Haraldsson at the far post.

An embarrassing mix-up led to Lille's second goal. Matthieu Udol's poor back pass was intercepted by Felix Correia after Nidal Celik let the ball run. The Portuguese winger was quicker to the ball than goalkeeper Robin Risser and scored in an empty net in the 50th.

Lens later was awarded a penalty after Ismaëlo Ganiou handled the ball in the box. Fernandez-Pardo wrongfooted Risser from the spot to put the Derby du Nord firmly beyond Lens.

Without its top striker, Strasbourg extended its unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 matches with a 3-1 win over Nice.

Joaquín Panichelli tore his right ACL while training with Argentina last week and underwent surgery on Thursday. He will miss the World Cup and maybe the start of next season, too. Panichelli leads the French league with 16 goals.

In his absence, winger Martial Godo and Samir El-Mourabet delighted the home fans to keep eighth-placed Strasbourg in contention for a European spot.

Godo hit the crossbar after 24 minutes and broke the deadlock soon after with another header into the far corner. They went into halftime 3-0 ahead after scores from midfielders Julio Enciso and El-Mourabet, the latter striking a beautiful half-volley from outside the box.

After dribbling past the Nice goalkeeper to make it 2-0, Enciso put on a jersey emblazoned with the name Panichelli before celebrating his goal in front of the Strasbourg fans.

More good news for Strasbourg was the sight of captain Emanuel Emegha, who will join Chelsea next season, returning from a four-month injury layoff when he went on in the 77th.

Defender Antoine Mendy pulled one back in the 82nd for Nice, which slumped to a 15th defeat. Strasbourg and Nice will face off again in the French Cup semifinals on April 22.

Rennes won a spectacular encounter at Brest 4-3. Esteban Lepaul scored twice from the penalty spot including the winner.

The visitors came from behind after Junior Dina Ebimbe also had a brace for Brest.

Lepaul netted the winner from the spot in the 74th. Goalkeeper Grégoire Coudert dived the right way but couldn't get enough touch to stop the strike.

Rennes rose to sixth place, just three points behind Lille.

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

Lens' Adrien Thomasson, left, and Lille's Aissa Mandi, down, challenge for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lille and Lens, in Lille, France, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Lille's Felix Correia celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the French League One soccer match between Lille and Lens, in Lille, France, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi, left, and Lens' Jonathan Gradit challenge for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lille and Lens, in Lille, France, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Lille's Olivier Giroud celebrates at the end of the French League One soccer match between Lille and Lens, in Lille, France, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Lille and Lens, in Lille, France, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlie Lindgren allowed eight goals on 32 shots as the defense melted down in front of him, and the Washington Capitals blew a major opportunity to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race by losing to the already-eliminated New York Rangers 8-1 on Sunday night.

They now face a daunting task to get in: three points back with four games left to play. The Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers are ahead of them in the chase for third in the Metropolitan Division, with those teams plus the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators also in the way for the East's second and final wild card spot.

That precarious position made this close to a must-win game for Washington, and it got off to a rough start. Former Capitals winger Conor Sheary scored 23 seconds in against Lindgren, who was making his first start since March 12 after Logan Thompson played the previous 10 games.

After going into the first intermission tied, following a breakaway goal from Connor McMichael, the bottom fell out in the second period.

A second consecutive delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass 7 seconds after the first expired paved the way for a Rangers power-play goal when Mika Zibanejad's shot banked in off J.T. Miller's left skate. Will Cuylle scored twice over the ensuing six minutes, and goals by Adam Sykora and Adam Fox put the deficit out of reach.

Cuylle completed his first NHL hat trick with 31.5 seconds left, Vincent Trocheck scored earlier in the third and Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves for the Rangers, who won for the fifth time in six home games. They had just nine victories at Madison Square Garden in their first 34 before this home stand began.

Capitals: Visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

Rangers: Host the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday in their home finale.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) celebrates after his goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault (94) celebrates with center J.T. Miller (8) after scoring his third goal of the game during the period of an NHL hockey game against Detroit Red Wings, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)