Saturday, May 18, 2019

 Girondins de Bordeaux 0-1 Stade de Reims 

Paulo Sousa (Bordeaux coach): "We started very badly and the players have to do better individually. We played quicker in the second half and created more, with more intensity. We have not won in a while. I am disappointed with the result but not surprised. We are working with the staff to improve our mentality and our way of playing. The owner believes we can do something different but we need time to change things. I took the decision to come before the end of the season to get to know the squad and Ligue 1. I am working with the club to take the right decisions for next season and I hope to get the club back to the level they are used to. We need to be patient."

David Guion (Reims coach): "We were solid, disciplined and played very well in the first half. We got quite an early goal and that allowed the boys to believe they could get the victory. We are pleased with the clean sheet too, because we hadn't had one in a while."

 EA Guingamp 2-2 Nîmes Olympique 

Jocelyn Gourvennec (Guingamp coach): "It was an open game. We know that Nîmes like to get forward and also give you chances. Both teams played the same way and both goalkeepers made great saves. It could have gone either way. I want to stay here, but I'd like to know exactly what the club's plans are."

Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): "There was not a lot at stake, which probably explains why there were so many chances. It is quite rare - it could have ended 5-5 or 6-6...Seventh is the highest we have been since the third week of the season. We are going to finish in the top half and we are very pleased, but I still have some regrets about the match."

 LOSC  5 - 0  Angers SCO 

Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "Our objective was to start strong and we managed to do that. Fortunately we got ourselves two goals up because then we switched off and Angers created four or five chances, and even scored a goal that was disallowed for offside. I think that we have been the best side behind Paris and some of our players have to be in the Ligue 1 team of the season. Am I the best coach? For me the best coach is the one who wins trophies."

Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "There are several explanations for this defeat. There is Lille's quality and then our awful start. It is not the first time we have started a game like that. It happened at Lyon, at Marseille, at Montpellier. The gulf between the sides in the league table was evident out on the pitch."

 Olympique Lyonnais 4 - 0 SM Caen 

Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): "We will savour this all together. We have deserved it over the course of the season, and we have fulfilled our two main objectives. We have many regrets with the way we went out of the Coupe de France, but overall it has been a successful season."

Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): "We played well in the first half but we were not the same after the opening goal and Lyon raised their game. We were hoping for a result but we always knew we would have a final against Bordeaux next week. Our destiny will be decided in that game so we have to play well and make sure we are prepared for the play-offs."

 AS Monaco  2 - 0  Amiens SC 

Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "It was a very good response on the pitch from the team. We have taken a big step towards safety with these three points and with the results elsewhere, but we are not safe yet. We need to prepare for the derby (at Nice) and get a result. There are always surprises in football. The players know that it has been a difficult season, so now is not the time to celebrate anything."

Christophe Pélissier (Amiens coach): "I thought it was a harsh score-line. Monaco were there for the taking. You know there are not going to be a lot of chances in a game between two struggling sides. We wanted to put their defence under pressure because they have been weak at the back. Unfortunately Monaco opened the scoring from a set-piece. Now we have a final to come against Guingamp. We have a week to prepare. I said in January it would come down to the final day and that is the case. The boys are not giving up. We need to prepare for this game to win it."

 Montpellier Hérault SC 1-1 FC Nantes  

Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "We needed to win to keep our hopes alive but we couldn't do it. But our destiny was not in our hands. We were too poor in the first half to pose them problems. We should have won it in the second half. We had two or three good situations but didn't hit the target. It has been a good season. We are fifth and we will fight with Marseille to hold onto our position."

Vahid Halilhodzic (Nantes coach): "It was a fair result. We played well, especially in the first half. We sat back after that but Montpellier did not create many chances. The goalkeeper hardly had a save to make. Montpellier's goal came from a slightly fortunate free-kick. We have made good progress and it is a shame that the season is finishing now."

Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Dijon FCO 

Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "It was important to finish the season well at home. We played well and I am very happy. We could have scored more goals but four is great. The party is a bit late in coming, but it is important to celebrate with our supporters and we are going to enjoy it."

Antoine Kombouaré (Dijon coach): "What really upsets me is that our start to the match was awful. We wanted to keep the suspense for as long as possible, cause them problems. We knew we were going to suffer at the start of the game, but not that we were going to concede a goal. The worst thing is that the game was over after five minutes. We need to forget about this match and do what we need to do next Friday against Toulouse."

 AS Saint-Etienne  3 - 0  OGC Nice 

Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "I am proud of the work we have done, of the players. We suffered tonight. We were playing without Cabella and Khazri. We lacked felxibility but we showed other values. We defended very well and we were clinical. We have had a very good season but it could have been exceptional. It would have been miraculous had we been able to get into the top three. We have made other teams tremble until two matches from the end but when you see the difference in terms of budget and squads...I don't know if I will be here next season. I saw the presidents on Monday. We decided to see each other again at the start of next week. If we reach an agreement, why not..."

Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): "In the first half we had chances but their goalkeeper made some great saves. We are really frustrated and this sort of sums up our season. We play lovely football but can't take our chances. We were a little naive at times, but I can't reproach my players for their spirit."

 RC Strasbourg Alsace 0-2 Stade Rennais FC 

Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "I wouldn't say it's cruel because we had enough chances to score. I thought I was watching a repeat of our match against Dijon, with lots of shots, goal-line clearances, shots against the post. In the first half the only chance they had was a shot from 20 metres that went in the top corner. Rennes then played on the break in the second half and we conceded a classic goal that sealed the result. The boys gave their all. In January we were having five shots on goal a game and scoring four. Tonight we could have scored four or five and yet we lose 2-0."

Julien Stéphan (Rennes coach): "It is a welcome win. It was not an extraordinary performance but we played well as a team. We didn't want to tarnish our end to the season after winning the Coupe de France. That is three draws and a victory now. The aim against Lille on the final day will be to keep that unbeaten run going."

Toulouse FC 2-5 Olympique de Marseille

Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "It is a harsh defeat. We could have been 2-0 up in the first half and we were closer to going 3-3 in the second half. The players gave a good account of themselves and I am disappointed for them. We took risks at 2-2 and that hurt us. We need to be more clinical and better defensively in order to get results in Ligue 1. I would have preferred to secure our survival thanks to our own result and finish on a high at Le Stadium. The players did not deserve that."

Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "We played like professionals, like competitors. I thought we played especially well in the second half, creating chances and with Steve (Mandanda) making the saves. Defensively we did not play well in the first half but we were good going forward. We need to play the same way next Friday at home, beat Montpellier and finish the season well in front of our fans."