Lille wrapped up third place in Ligue 1 on Sunday, sealing a return to the Champions League after a 2-0 home defeat to Auxerre on the season's final day. The result ensured Lille finished one point ahead of Lyon, who slipped to fourth after their heavy loss at Lens.
Mali forward Lassine Sinayoko scored both goals for Auxerre, a relief for a side that needed the points to ensure survival in the top flight. "This is not the match we wanted to play, but the main thing is that we finish third," Lille captain Benjamin André said. "It's the reward for a whole season. We should not focus on this final match."
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
The race for third proved anticlimactic. Lyon fell apart early against Lens, trailing by three goals before halftime in a 4-0 defeat that ended their chances. Rennes, the third contender, lost at Marseille. None of the three managed a win, so Lille claimed the spot without needing any help.
European picture takes shape
Marseille beat Rennes 3-1 with goals from Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, Amine Gouiri and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The victory lifted them to fifth place — level on points with Rennes but with superior goal difference — earning a Europa League spot. Esteban Lepaul pulled one back for Rennes, his 21st goal of the campaign.
PSG, already confirmed as champions on Wednesday, completed a miserable week with a 2-1 loss to neighbors Paris FC. Bradley Barcola gave PSG an early lead, but Alimami Gory equalized in the 76th minute and completed his brace in stoppage time. PSG had suffered elimination by the same opponents in the French Cup quarter-finals in January. Their attention now turns to the Champions League final against Arsenal on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Relegation battle and notable farewells
Nice finished 16th after a goalless draw with bottom-placed Metz and will face Saint-Etienne in a promotion-relegation playoff. The pitch was invaded briefly after full-time.
Strasbourg produced a dramatic escape, beating Monaco 5-4 after trailing 4-1 in the 55th minute. Martial Godo and Sebastian Nanasi each scored twice in the comeback.
In Nantes, a difficult season ended in abandonment. Fireworks and crowd trouble forced the match against Toulouse to be stopped, bringing a fittingly chaotic close to Vahid Halilhodzic's managerial career. The 74-year-old, who returned to Nantes in March, was given a guard of honour before kickoff. He won the French title as a player with the club in 1983 and later coached them, along with Lille, PSG, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Japan and Morocco.