The Selection Puzzle
Lille cruised past northern rivals Lens 3-0 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday, a Derby du Nord interrupted briefly in the 35th minute when the referee threatened to halt the match due to discriminatory chanting from the home crowd.
The result leaves Lens trailing PSG by four points, though the Paris side holds a game in hand heading into the final rounds.
The trophy did not need much decoration; the season had already done most of the talking.
Hákon Haraldsson put Lille ahead just before halftime, finishing a swift counter sparked by a long ball from captain Aïssa Mandi. Fernandez-Pardo slipped the ball between two defenders and found the unmarked Icelandic forward at the far post.
Lille's second came from an embarrassing mix-up. Matthieu Udol's poor back pass was intercepted by Felix Correia after Nidal Celik let the ball run. The Portuguese winger beat goalkeeper Robin Risser to the ball and slotted into an empty net in the 50th.
The Fitness Questions
Lens was later awarded a penalty when Ismaëlo Ganiou handled in the box. Fernandez-Pardo wrongfooted Risser from the spot to complete the scoring.
Strasbourg 3-1 Nice
Without top striker Joaquín Panichelli, Strasbourg extended its unbeaten run to 10 matches with a comfortable win over Nice. Panichelli tore his right ACL while training with Argentina last week and underwent surgery on Thursday, ruling him out of the World Cup and potentially the start of next season. He leads Ligue 1 with 16 goals.
In his absence, Martial Godo and Samir El-Mourabet stepped up. Godo hit the crossbar after 24 minutes, then broke the deadlock shortly after with a header into the far corner. Midway through the first half, Julio Enciso added a second with a neat finish after dribbling past the Nice goalkeeper, then celebrated by pulling on a jersey bearing Panichelli's name. El-Mourabet capped the opening half with a beautiful half-volley from outside the box.
The Warm-Up Before It Counts
Captain Emanuel Emegha, joining Chelsea next season, returned from a four-month injury layoff in the 77th minute. Defender Antoine Mendy pulled one back in the 82nd for Nice, which slumped to its 15th defeat. The teams meet again in the French Cup semifinals on April 22.
Rennes 4-3 Brest
Rennes won a spectacular encounter in Brittany, edging Brest 4-3. Esteban Lepaul scored twice from the penalty spot, including the winner in the 74th. Junior Dina Ebimbe also had a brace for Brest. Goalkeeper Grégoire Coudert dove the right way but couldn't keep out Lepaul's decisive strike. Rennes rose to sixth, three points behind Lille.