A Legacy In Full
Lille confirmed third place in Ligue 1 on Sunday, securing a Champions League berth despite a 2-0 home defeat to Auxerre on the season's final day. The result left Lille one point ahead of Lyon, who lost 4-0 at Lens.
Mali forward Lassine Sinayoko scored both goals for Auxerre, ensuring his club remained in the top flight and avoided a relegation playoff.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
"This is not the match we wanted to play, but the main thing is that we finish third. It's the reward for a whole season. We should not focus on this final match," Lille captain Benjamin Andre said.
The third-place race had been genuinely open until the final round, with Lille, Lyon and Rennes all capable of finishing third. None managed a win, and Lille claimed the spot anyway.
The Numbers That Last
Lyon fell apart early at home against Lens, trailing by three goals before halftime. Florian Thauvin added another after the break in a 4-0 defeat that knocked Lyon out of the Champions League places entirely.
Marseille finished fifth, level on points with Rennes but with a better goal difference, after beating Rennes 3-1. Goals from Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, Amine Gouiri and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did the work, with Esteban Lepaul's 21st goal of the season providing a consolation for the visitors.
PSG, already crowned champion on Wednesday, lost 2-1 to neighbor Paris FC in a short trip across the city. Bradley Barcola put PSG ahead, only for Alimami Gory to equalize in the 76th minute and complete his brace in added time.
The defeat meant little for PSG, who will face Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest.
The Game That Followed
Nice survived in 16th place after a 0-0 draw with last-place Metz and will now play Saint-Etienne in a promotion-relegation playoff to stay in Ligue 1.
Strasbourg produced the most remarkable comeback of the day, beating Monaco 5-4 after trailing 4-1 in the 55th minute. Martial Godo and Sebastian Nanasi each scored twice in the fightback.
Nantes' final match of the season was abandoned after fans stormed the pitch in anger at the club's relegation to the second division. It was also the final match of veteran coach Vahid Halilhodzic's career — a 74-year-old who was given a guard of honor before kickoff against Toulouse and received loud applause from the crowd.
Local authorities ordered the match abandoned for security reasons after a lengthy interruption. Halilhodzic returned to Nantes in March but could not keep the eight-time French champion in the top tier. He won the title with Nantes as a player in 1983 and is third on the club's all-time scorers list with 93 league goals.