Lille secured third place in Ligue 1 and a spot in next season's Champions League on Sunday, doing so despite a 2-0 home defeat to Auxerre on the final day of the season.
Final-round drama
The mathematics were simple enough: three clubs — Lille, Lyon and Rennes — could have claimed third before the final round concluded. None managed a victory. Lille held on, finishing one point ahead of Lyon, who will now enter Champions League qualifying instead.
Mali forward Lassine Sinayoko scored twice for Auxerre, ensuring his club remained in the top flight and avoided the relegation playoff.
"This is not the match we wanted to play, but the main thing is that we finish third," Lille captain Benjamin And re said. "It's the reward for a whole season. We should not focus on this final match... Everybody wants to play in the Champions League."
Pinch of context
Lens finished runner-up to PSG, who clinched the ir 14th league title on Wednesday. The champions concluded the ir campaign on a sour note, losing 2-1 to neighbours Paris FC after Bradley Barcola's opener was cancelled out by Alimami Gory's late equaliser and winning goal in added time.
Nantes' match against Toulouse ended in abandonment after fans stormed the pitch in protest at the club's relegation. It was the final game of veteran coach Vahid Halilhodzic's career — a chaotic finish for a 74-year-old who won a French title as a player with Nantes in 1983.