Ligue 1 Recap: Sangaré and Lens bounce back; Sy stands out between the sticks

Mamadou Sangaré and second place RC Lens were the standout performers over the weekend in Ligue 1 while goalkeeper Pape Sy returned from injury in style with a Man of the Match performance for FC Metz.

Contrôle 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡 ✔️, petit filet 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒́ 🎯, c’est signé @msangare2002 💪#FiersDEtreLensois #RCLSCO pic.twitter.com/2NnwIUOjuk

— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) March 23, 2026

Rising Mali national team star Sangaré displayed his excellent control followed by a precision strike in the midst of a 5-1 thrashing of Angers. After joining from Austrian club Rapid Wien ahead of the ongoing season, the 23-year-old is only thriving more and more at a higher level.

He is a regular sight in the middle of the park for Les Sang et Or and is now an important player for Mali, starting all five matches for Les Aigles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Related to the same match, Angers sorely missed Burkina Faso goalkeeper Hervé Koffi who is on loan from Lens. Young backup Mali youth international Oumar Pona was given a baptism of fire away from home with an impossible task to fill in for Koffi, who was unavailable due to being unable to face his parent club.

Sy makes his case for more Ligue 1 action with Metz

But a goalkeeper who did have an excellent match was Pape Sy. The 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN) Goalkeeper of the Tournament and champion with Senegal was inspired on Sunday with eight saves as FC Metz bunkered for a 0-0 draw at Rennes.

Outside of an appearance in the ninth round of the campaign in late October when his team lost 1-6 at Lille, Sy has been out of action due to injury and his status as the backup keeper. However, he got an opportunity due to incumbent starter Jonathan Fischer’s poor performances and may have seized his chance to get a run of matches.

For his efforts, Sy was named in the Team of the Week for multiple publications. The 28-year-old is not the typical graduate of Metz’s affiliated Senegalese club Génération Foot.

He spent seven years with the club, helping them win two Senegal Ligue 1 titles before winning the CHAN and receiving his opportunity in Europe in 2023 at another Metz affiliate club, RFC Seraing in Belgium, before moving to Metz and becoming the backup option between the sticks.

Sy also has fellow African internationals to thank for the clean sheet, including center backs Terry Yegbe (Ghana) and Sadibou Sané (Senegal) and right back Koffi Kouao (Ivory Coast).

#SRFCFCM

📩 Après ce match nul sur la pelouse du @staderennais, élisez le Grenat du match by Flitbix ⤵️ https://t.co/fAwXSOQEBT pic.twitter.com/5R9m61Srhq

— FC Metz ☨ (@FCMetz) March 22, 2026