By Canadian Press on February 22, 2026.
PARIS (AP) — Franck Haise’s first game in charge of Rennes started with a clinical 3-0 win at Auxerre in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Midfielder Mahdi Camara scored two first-half goals either side of an effort from striker Esteban Lepaul to put Rennes 3-0 up at halftime. Haise replaced Habib Beye, who split with Rennes and is now at Marseille. Rennes was hardly troubled in the second half and moved three points behind fourth-placed Marseille in the race for a Champions League spot. Rennes is in sixth place and is behind fifth-place Lille on goal difference. Lille won 1-0 at Angers thanks to a penalty in first-half stoppage time from veteran striker Olivier Giroud. Struggling Auxerre is in 16th in the promotion-relegation playoff spot and leads 17th-place Nantes on goal difference. Lyon played at Strasbourg later Sunday looking for a club record-equaling 14th straight win in all competitions to match the Lyon side from the 2005-06 season. Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain share the French record with 16 straight wins overall. It has been a remarkable turnaround for coach Paulo Fonseca’s Lyon side, which avoided relegation to the second tier for financial irregularities after winning an appeal in July. Other matches Also Sunday, Nice conceded a goal five minutes into stoppage time in a 3-3 home draw with Lorient, and Nantes won 2-0 at home to Le Havre. PSG went back to the top on Saturday after title rival Lens lost at home to Monaco. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer The Associated Press 15