Nwaneri Shines on Marseille Debut as Lens Loses Ligue 1 Top Spot
18-year-old Nwaneri scores a spectacular goal on his Marseille debut, shaking up Ligue 1 as Lens Slip from the top. Massive title race shift!
Marseille struck early at the Velodrome thanks to a fortunate deflection from Amine Gouiri, who put the hosts ahead. Shortly after, 18-year-old England U21 international Nwaneri doubled the advantage with a stunning solo effort.
Starting from just inside his own half, Nwaneri sprinted forward unchallenged, skillfully cutting inside onto his left foot and unleashing a powerful 20-metre strike that found the net. Gouiri then secured the win by tapping home a Timothy Weah cross in the 75th minute, before Lens managed a late consolation through substitute Rayan Fofana.
Nwaneri's loan move to Marseille, finalized last Friday for the remainder of the season, comes as he struggles for game time at Premier League leaders Arsenal. After a breakthrough 2024/25 season, scoring nine goals and earning a fresh five-year contract, Nwaneri is now seeking regular minutes in Ligue 1.
In a strategic decision ahead of their crucial Champions League tie at Club Brugge, Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi left out top league scorer Mason Greenwood against Lens. Instead, De Zerbi handed immediate starts to newcomers Nwaneri and Quinten Timber, the twin brother of Arsenal's Jurrien Timber. They faced a Lens side that had been storming the league, winning eight straight and 11 of 12 matches, posing a formidable challenge alongside Paris Saint-Germain.
Lens had clung to a slim one-point lead in recent weeks, but Friday saw PSG overtake them with a narrow 1-0 victory at Auxerre, shaking up the title race.
Elsewhere, Monaco’s struggles continue as they were held to a goalless draw by Le Havre, leaving them with just a single win in their last nine encounters and sliding down to tenth place in the standings.
Lorient maintained their unbeaten streak by extending it to eight games, beating Rennes 2-0. Rennes missed the opportunity to climb into Champions League qualification spots with the defeat.
