PARIS (AP) — Lois Openda scored the fastest hat trick in a French league game in 50 years as Lens climbed to third place with a 4-0 victory over Clermont on Sunday.
Openda completed the “hat trick” in 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
According to data platform Opta, the Belgian striker was four seconds quicker than when Matt Moussilou scored a hat trick in Lille’s 8-0 thrashing of Istres in April 2005.
Lens were two points behind second-placed Marseille and lead Monaco by three points.
Openda had gone 11 games without scoring in all competitions.
In other results, Jean-Eudes Aholou’s brace saved Strasbourg from a 2-2 draw against a Marseille side who played with 10 men from the 29th minute after Argentina defender Leonardo Balerdi was sent off after knocking down striker Habib Diallo.
Chancel Mbemba and Chilean Alexis Sánchez scored the goals for Marseille.
Fourth place Monaco fell behind in the race for Champions League places by losing 1-0 to Reims.
Moreover, Nice drew 2-2 with Nantes; Lorient beat Troyes 2-0, Toulouse snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Angers 2-0; and Montpellier beat Ajaccio 1-0.
On Saturday, leaders Paris Saint-Germain beat Brest 2-1 to lead Marseille by 10 points.