The 6 matches (in addition to PSG – Toulouse) played this Sunday evening during the penultimate day of L1 made it possible to settle several positions at the top and bottom of the ranking.
The race for the podium: Lille overtakes Brest
While Monaco definitively secured its 2nd place by winning in Montpellier thanks to goals from Kassoum Ouattara (52nd) and Youssouf Fofana (65th), Lille did not miss the opportunity to overtake Brest and climb to 3rd. step of the podium. Quickly in front thanks to an early double from Jonathan David (8th, 11th), Lille won in Nantes (1-2). They are ahead of Brest on goal difference (+19 against +16). But Lille lost their goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier at the end of the match, injured in the knee.
The race for Europe: Lens misses the opportunity, Lyon and OM can still believe in it
In this direct confrontation for Europe, Lens opened the scoring in Rennes thanks to a goal from Angelo Fulgini (48th) who had not scored in L1 since… February 25, 2023. But the Lensois were joined on a goal from Ibrahim Salah (82nd). Lens (6th, 50 pts) remains under threat from Lyon (7th, 50 points) and OM (8th, 47 points with a match late) who can still believe in it, especially since 7th place can be synonymous with the Europa Conference League in the event of PSG’s victory in the Coupe de France final against OL on May 25. In the meantime, the Lyonnais condemned Clermont with a goal from Orel Mangala (53rd).
Three days after being spanked at Atalanta Bergamo (3-0), the OM players were greeted by hostile banners like “Management, staff, players, respect the coat of arms or get out”. The Marseillais brought (a little) smiles to their supporters thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (37th, 54th), now 16 goals in L1 and 29 in all competitions, and Samuel Gigot (41st), against Lorient (3-1 ) where Benjamin Mendy celebrated his return to the Vélodrome by taking advantage of a very unusual error from Chancel Mbemba (43rd).
The race to maintain: it’s over for Clermont, Nantes saved
We already know the first relegated to L2: Clermont, beaten by Lyon (0-1). Lorient, which lost to Marseille (3-1), is almost doomed. It will take a miracle (goal average of -28 against -21) for the Merlus to snatch 16th place, synonymous with the play-offs, at the expense of Metz.
Given its unfavorable goal difference compared to Le Havre, Metz, who cracked at the end of the match (goals from Emegha, 89th and Santos, 90 + 1) in Strasbourg despite the inevitable (13th goal in 19 matches), Georges Mikautadze (54th), should indeed be a barrier against the winner of the L2 playoffs. .
Still absent defensively against Lille (1-2), Nantes broke a sad record in L1: that of consecutive defeats at home (9). The Beaujoire stadium therefore experienced a sad 40th anniversary but the Nantes residents took advantage of the defeat at Metz to secure their continuation.
