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Final Day Roundup: France's Winners and Losers as Ligue 1 Draws to a Close
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Final Day Roundup: France's Winners and Losers as Ligue 1 Draws to a Close

Final Day Roundup: France's Winners and Losers as Ligue 1 Draws to a Close

Saturday saw the curtain fall on the first of Europes top five leagues in 2024/25, and with no shortage of drama, as the Ligue 1 table was decided. All 18 teams played at the same time at 8pm on Sunday, meaning the players on the pitch wouldn’t know rival results and the resulting permutations until at least half time.

While the title had been decided almost a month previously, there were still a number of significant places up for grabs as all nine games kicked off. Four teams were battling it out for fourth through to seventh, while Reims and Le Havre were the two sides fighting neck and neck against relegation.

In a final day full of twists and turns, shock results and heavy wins, we take you through the biggest winners and losers of the final gameday in Ligue 1 this season.

Last-Gasp Le Havre Seal Survival, Strasbourg Slip at the Last Hurdle

Undoubtedly the biggest talking point of the day concerned the relegation battle. It was anyone’s guess who would join Montpellier and Saint Etienne in Ligue 2 next season, with Reims and Le Havre separated by just a place and two points.

They were battling it out for 16th, which itself is not an automatic relegation spot - instead, the team that places here goes up against the Ligue 2 side which has already battled its way through two previous one-legged play-off rounds in a two-legged final. A showpiece game between first tier strugglers and second tier high fliers.

Both sides fell behind in their respective game before the break - Le Havre trailed Strasbourg thanks to a smart Andrey Santos finish from a corner, and Reims to an audacious backheel flick by Lille’s Remy Cabella.

Both Reims and Le Havre were facing sides battling for European spots at the other end of the table, meaning there was a lot on the line for both sides. To make things even harder for the relegation threatened duo, both were playing away from home, and had to deal with hostile crowds eager to see their team qualify for Europe.

Both anticipated bouts of heavy fire from their more illustrious opposition, but it was Le Havre who held out better, and their efforts were rewarded just before the break when Abdoulaye Toure tucked away a penalty kick after a handball by Brighton loanee Valentin Barco.

At half time, Le Havre and Strasbourg were level at one apiece, while Reims trailed Lille 1-0. But as is typical of any final day across Europe, things quickly changed. Eight minutes after the restart, Strasbourg took the lead for the second time, this time through an excellent Sebastian Nanasi finish, and seven minutes later, Reims equalised at Lille.

The quick change in scorelines saw Le Havre move from the comfort of 15th into the relegation play-off spot, while Reims temporarily moved to safety.

However, the Le Havre players must have sensed something was amiss, because less than 10 minutes after Reims equalised in Northern France, they equalised in the east, through a crisp Josue Casimir volley. While it wasn’t enough to pull them out of the relegation zone yet, it gave their fans hope, and their cries echoed around the stadium, rallying their side.

Things got better for the coastal side when news filtered around the Stade de la Meinau that Reims had fallen behind to an 86th minute penalty, providing a sucker punch to their survival hopes. However, with Le Havre still level, both sides knew a point was not enough to drag themselves out of the relegation zone.

Then, five minutes into added time, a long ball was pumped into the Strasbourg box, and Andrew Omobamidele clumsily tripped Issa Soumare in the box, receiving a red card for good measure. Le Havre had been presented with a gilt edged opportunity to secure Ligue 1 status. Toure stepped up for the second time, and with calmness not dissimilar to a certain Andrea Pirlo, panenka’d the ball into the corner, sending Djordje Petrovic the wrong way.

The away stand erupted, and the Le Havre bench spilled onto the pitch - the full time whistle had already been blown in Lille, and with no more added time left to play, Le Havre had sealed survival in the most dramatic way possible.

It was heartbreak for Strasbourg, who knew that a win would be enough to see them finish sixth, enough to enter next season’s Conference League qualifiers, which would have been deserved after an outstanding season.

Instead, the full time whistle saw them looking from the outside in, finishing seventh. Level on points with Lyon but with inferior goal difference, the Blue Co owned outfit came agonisingly close to Europe, but it was Le Havre who came out on top.

For Reims, the 86th minute penalty was heartbreaking, but not the end of the story. Now confirmed as the Ligue 1 participant in the relegation/promotion play-off, they will face FC Metz. The first leg will be held on Wednesday, with the all important second leg coming the following Thursday.

While survival was in their hands at the start of the day, it was always going to be a tough task to take a result away from Lille. However, they will be frustrated that they didn’t keep it level. A point would have been enough to seal 15th place, even with a Le Havre victory, thanks to the drastic gap in goal difference.

While it was a disappointing end to the campaign, we may still see Stade Reims in League next year. More importantly, they have a Coupe De France final coming up, a chance to win unexpected silverware in what has otherwise been a very underwhelming season. The only problem: PSG wait for them.

Lyon and Nice Get Over the Line

While the two games above presented the most interesting and diverse range of outcomes and permutations, there were storylines elsewhere too.

Nice needed to win if they were to seal a spot in the 2025/26 Champions League qualifiers, while also needed a result if they were to have any hope of getting into preliminary stages of the Conference League.

Of course, with Strasbourg slipping up, Lyon had their destiny in their own hands, and duly sealed it against an already safe Angers team, winning 2-0 at home. The game was former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette’s final appearance for the club, and he capped off a stellar career at his boyhood team with his 128th and 129th goals, both scored in the second half, and dragging them into European competition next season, the perfect way to round out his legacy.

Nice also had a straightforward end to the season, smacking Brest for six in a game which saw five different goal scorers. Evann Guessand, Badredine Bouanani, Gaetan Laborde, Terem Moffi and Ali Abdi all got on the scoresheet as three goals in each half sealed the clubs highest finish since 2017, when they ended the campaign third.

Nice’s win saw them equal Lille’s points tally, and thanks to their prolific frontline netting 14 goals more than their rivals throughout the season, they were able to pip them to the post. Had Lille lost, Lyon would have also overtaken them, but Paulo Fonseca’s side had to settle for sixth, more than they would have expected at the halfway stage of the season, having had an awful start.

PSG Win Again, Monaco Take Foot Off the Pedal

With no places left to play for, scorelines elsewhere were simply the result of the formality of sides fulfilling their 34 game quota.

PSG were given the perfect chance to warm up for the upcoming Coupe De France and Champions League finals, and they once again showed the character of their young side as they came from behind to win at home against Auxerre.

Lassine Sinayoko gave Auxerre a shock lead after half an hour, but PSG’s quality eventually shone through with two second half goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sandwiching a Marquinhos to ensure PSG finished 19 points clear of their nearest checks notes … competitor.

Second placed Marseille also rounded out their season with a win, ending their campaign with a resounding 4-2 victory over Rennes in front of their home crowd, while Monaco, who couldn’t drop any lower than third, seemed to be a bit too relaxed, falling to a woeful 4-0 defeat at the hands of Lens.

The victory for Lens sealed a solid mid-table finish in eighth, just five points behind Strasbourg and Lyon. While Monaco had technically already qualified for Champions League football, second place was still up for grabs, and many were surprised they didn’t push to at least put some pressure on Marseille.

However, a 52nd minute red card for Soungoutou Magassa didn’t aid their cause, and the 10 men left out on the field conceded three goals in the final 35 minutes to fall to their heaviest defeat of the season.

While title race was only ever going to be a one horse race, France’s top tier nevertheless provided superb entertainment at both ends of the table, and with the quality of mid-table teams slowly catching up to those competing at the top end of the table, it is a league that looks set to become ever more exciting in years to come.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

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