Monaco confirm Troyes to relegation
Two goals from Rony Lopes helped Monaco to a 3-0 victory over Troyes and sent Jean-Louis Garcia’s men into the second tier. The Portuguese attacker’s first goal came courtesy of a miss-hit which completely deceived Troyes keeper Erwin Zelazny.
Youri Tielemans hit the bar with a fantastic effort from long-range before Lopes grabbed his second with a powerful finish into the bottom corner. It was a clever turn which allowed him the space for the opportunity, as the 22-year-old netted his 15th league goal of the season.
Substitute Jordi Mboula curled in a third to guarantee the victory and the runners-up spot. “We achieved three goals: to be well ranked, to succeed in training players and to be effective in selling players,” said Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim.
Lyon turn up in the second half
Lyon qualified for the Champions League, but they had to battle back to overcome Nice. The away side were chasing a Europa League slot in Lucien Favre’s last game in charge.
Alassane Plea shocked the Groupama Stadium, when he raced clear of the Lyon defence following an excellent through ball from Mario Balotelli. The counter attack completely stunned the home team, whilst Plea’s finish had too much pace for goalkeeper Mathieu Gorgelin.
Lyon were quick out the traps in the second half, with Houssem Aouar forcing a good stop from Walter Benitez and then substitute Mariano Diaz coming close from the resulting corner. Memphis Depay ensured the early pressure wasn’t in vein when he side-footed Nabil Fekir’s low cross into the net.
Balotelli should have restored Nice’s advantage in his final game for the club when he blazed over the bar. Depay’s free-kick sneaked under the defensive wall to put Lyon ahead.
The Dutch winger completed his hat-trick with sublime chip when one-against-one with Benitez. Plea did subdue the home support again when he struck back immediately, but Lyon held on to finish third.
Marseille’s disappointing week continued
After the Europa League final defeat to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Marseille provided an instant reaction. Rudi Garcia’s men beat Amiens 2-1, although due to Lyon’s victory it meant they stayed in fourth and missed out on the Champions League.
Morgan Sanson did well to control the initial pass from Boubacar Kamara before unleashing an unstoppable shot. Lucas Ocampos’ header was then saved by Regis Gurtner, but Kostas Mitroglou was on-hand to tap-in for Marseille’s second just eight minutes later.
Moussa Konate slipped the ball through the legs of Steve Mandanda to give Amiens hope, with half-hour gone. That hope evaporated when they went down to 10 men following the sending off of midfielder Thomas Monconduit in the second half.
Champions League✔️
Caen survives
An improbable 0-0 draw with the Champions was enough to keep Caen in the top flight. Had they have lost the encounter they would have faced a relegation play-off.
Unai Emery opted to give George Weah’s son Timothy his full Ligue One debut in Paris Saint-Germain colours. Caen manager Patrice Garande confirmed to new president Gilles Sergent that he won’t continue in the role: “We were asked to make an appointment on Sunday in case we stayed up, but I told him that my relationship with his predecessor Jean-François Fortin meant I couldn't coach Stade Malherbe next season.”
Toulouse leave it too late
Two goals in four minutes from Max Gradel and former Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo gave Toulouse a 2-1 win over Guingamp. Clement Grenier hit the goal for the away side, as they finished the campaign in 12th.
It was Toulouse’s first win in five games and would have been enough to definitely stay in the division had Caen not got the point. They now have a two-legged play-off with Ajaccio, who have been in the Ligue 2 for the last four years.
“We would have liked to have secured automatic survival but if we have to go through the trenches then that's what we'll do,” said Toulouse coach Michael Debeve. “We were dependant on other results and they didn't go our way.”
Honourable mentions
Both Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux were in the goals as they defeated Lille 5-0 and Metz 4-0 respectively. The two teams along with Rennes will fancy their chances of gatecrashing the top four next term.
