Lens won the clash of the weekend in Ligue 1 on Saturday against Olympique de Marseille. Remco Evenepoel has already hit hard at the opening of the Giro.
The Grand Tours are back. The Giro started in Abruzzo on Saturday May 6 with an inaugural time trial that Remco Evenepoel crushed. In football, the 34th day of Ligue 1 saw Lens win the clash of the weekend against Olympique de Marseille (2-1) to take an option on second place. Sunday, Lyon reversed a crazy match against Montpellier (5-4). A day concluded with the victory of Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix, in Formula 1. Finally, three weeks before Roland-Garros, Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz triumphed at the Madrid tournament.
Giro: Evenepoel marks its territory
We were expecting Remco Evenepoel from the inaugural time trial of the 106th edition of the Tour of Italy, it is an understatement to say that he responded present. On Saturday, the Belgian specialty champion took the first pink jersey while relegating the competition at a distance after a stopwatch of 19.6 km. Among the contenders for the final victory, João Almeida conceded 29 seconds, Primoz Roglic lost 43 seconds, Geraint Thomas has 55 seconds of disbursements.
“We said we should probably keep the pink jersey until the fourth stagea glissé Evenepoel. We will then see what we can do to let go. But for now, I’m enjoying it. It’s a great way to get back to the Giro.” He kept his pink tunic on Sunday after the second stage marked by a fall near the finish and won by the Italian Jonathan Milan.
Ligue 1: Lens mates OM, Lyon in the irrational
The Ligue 1 shock has kept all its promises. Long jostled by Olympique de Marseille, Lens still managed to reverse the trend to win (2-1) in his overexcited den of Bollaert-Delelis. Seko Fofana showed the way to the Sang et Or with a clear strike (1-0, 42nd) before Loïs Openda doubled the lead on the hour mark (2-0, 60th). Dimitri Payet reduced the gap after coming on (2-1, 88th) but it was too late for OM. Guaranteed to find the European Cup for the first time since the 2007-2008 season, Lens takes second place six points behind PSG, winner of Troyes (3-1) on Sunday – and two units ahead of Marseille.
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On Sunday, Lyon won a crazy match in which a player from both teams scored at least four goals for the first time since 1974: Elye Wahi for Montpellier and Alexandre Lacazette for OL. The latter offered victory to Lyon on a penalty after ten minutes of additional time (5-4). A crazy comeback since the Héraultais led 4-1 just before the hour mark. Lyon came back to three points from Lille, 5th, and last qualified for European games.
Tennis: Alcaraz and Sabalenka set dates for Roland-Garros
Three weeks before Roland-Garros, the Madrid tournament has given some indications of the forces involved. Among the women, the duel of the moment between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek turned to the advantage of the first. After a magnificent final and a committed fight of 2h27, the Belarusian won in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-3) to once again win the WTA 1000 in Madrid. after 2021. She especially took her revenge on Iga Swiatek who had beaten her in the final in Stuttgart, two weeks earlier (6-3, 6-4).
In men, logic was respected. The huge favorite Carlos Alcaraz retained his title. Opposed to the big surprise Jan-Lennard Struff – the first player drafted from the qualifications to reach the final of a Masters 1000 -, the Spaniard needed three sets and 2h26 of play to get rid of the German (6- 4, 3-6, 6-3). It is already Alcaraz’s fourth title this season after the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, the ATP 500 in Barcelona and the Masters 100 in Indian Wells.
Formula 1: Red Bull continues its flawless
Fifth Grand Prix and fifth victory for Red Bull this season. The Austrian team even offers itself a fourth double by placing its two drivers on the first two steps of the podium. Despite starting from ninth position, Max Verstappen edged his team-mate Sergio Perez to extend his lead in the drivers’ standings, with a 14-point gap now. Fernando Alonso is on the podium again, with a third place for the fourth time this season. In difficulty since the start of the season, Alpine has somewhat raised the bar in Florida thanks to the 8th and 10th places of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
