Lens news

The Bundesliga may still be on a winter break, but there was plenty of other action across Europe as 2026 got off to a cracking start for some of the continent's elite teams. In England, Arsenal took another big step towards a first Premier League title since 2004 by moving six points clear thanks to a 3-2 win at Bournemouth, while reigning champions Barcelona continue to lead the way in Spain after beating city rivals Espanyol thanks to late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.

The Christmas period is upon us, which means we are somehow already more or less at the midway point of the 2025-26 football season. As many of Europe's leading leagues pause for the winter break, it's time to take stock and reflect on four scintillating months of action. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed transfers across the continent in the summer, now that they have a decent sample size of games under their belts.

The latest weekend of matches around Europe brought with it top-of-the-table clashes, dramatic late goals and even fan rebellions as clubs around the continent look to get themselves into form ahead of the long winter to come. La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 all have new leaders following the most recent round of matches, with some title races looking likely to be nail-biters all the way through to May.

GOAL reviews the key takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, with Pulisic featuring for Milan after recovering from injury.

USMNT star Folarin Balogun experienced a rollercoaster of highs and lows on Saturday against Lens. The AS Monaco striker drew his side level with a 37th-minute penalty, only to be sent off before halftime - a turning point that left Monaco reeling. Lens capitalized, surging to a 3-1 lead by the break before sealing a 4-1 victory.

Premier League giants Manchester City sent a scout to watch over the Ligue 1 fixture between RC Lens and AJ Auxerre last week. It has been reported that the scouting team had four players on their shortlist.