Lille Secures Champions League Spot Despite Loss; PSG Ends Season with Derby Defeat

• Lille lost 2-0 to Auxerre but still finished third, sealing a Champions League spot one point ahead of Lyon

• PSG, already crowned champions, suffered a 2-1 derby defeat to Paris FC

• Nice drew 0-0 with Metz and now face Saint-Etienne in a promotion-relegation playoff

Lille concluded the Ligue 1 season in third place, securing a spot in next year’s Champions League, despite a 2-0 loss at home to Auxerre on the final day. Paris Saint-Germain, already crowned champions, wrapped up its domestic campaign with a disappointing derby loss.

Prior to Sunday’s matches, three clubs—Lille, Lyon, and Rennes—were in contention for the third place, which would allow them to join PSG and runner-up Lens in Europe’s top competition. However, none claimed victory, leaving Lille one point ahead of Lyon, which will have to go through Champions League qualifying.

Mali forward Lassine Sinayoko scored two goals for Auxerre, securing his team’s safety in the top flight and avoiding relegation.

“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,” said Lille captain Benjamin Andre. “This is very important for the club. Everybody wants to play in the Champions League.”

Lyon’s aspirations for third place diminished quickly as coach Paulo Fonseca’s squad fell behind 3-0 at halftime against Lens. Florian Thauvin added another goal in the second half, finalizing a 4-0 victory for the visitors.

Meanwhile, Marseille defeated Rennes 3-1, with contributions from Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, Amine Gouiri, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Esteban Lepaul, the league’s top scorer, netted a goal, marking his 21st of the season.

This win propelled Marseille to fifth place, equal on points with Rennes but ahead on goal difference, thus securing a spot in the Europa League.

In Paris, PSG, having already secured its 14th league title earlier in the week, faced local rival Paris FC and concluded the season with a 2-1 loss.

Bradley Barcola initially put PSG ahead, but Alimami Gory equalized in the 76th minute before completing his brace in added time. PSG had previously been eliminated from the French Cup by Paris FC in January.

Looking ahead, PSG will now prepare for the Champions League final against Arsenal on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Nice, which played to a 0-0 draw with last-placed Metz, finished 16th and will compete against Saint-Etienne in a challenging promotion-relegation playoff. The pitch was stormed by fans shortly after the final whistle.

Strasbourg achieved a remarkable comeback by defeating Monaco 5-4, overcoming a 4-1 deficit in the 55th minute. Martial Godo and Sebastian Nanasi both scored twice during the thrilling match.

Halilhodzic’s Chaotic Farewell Match

Veteran Nantes coach Vahid Halilhodzic concluded his career with a match that was ultimately abandoned.

Halilhodzic was met with a guard of honor from players and staff before the game against Toulouse, receiving loud applause from the crowd. However, chaos ensued as fans, upset by Nantes’ relegation to the second division, invaded the pitch. After a prolonged interruption, local authorities ordered the match to be abandoned due to safety concerns.

The 74-year-old Halilhodzic retires after a brief return to Nantes in March, unable to fulfill his mission of keeping the eight-time champions in Ligue 1.

Halilhodzic previously won the French title with Nantes as a player in 1983 and ranks third on the club’s all-time scoring list with 93 league goals. His extensive coaching career included stints with Lille, where he was named Coach of the Season, and PSG, in addition to managing national teams from Ivory Coast, Algeria, Japan, and Morocco.