Saturday, May 12, 2018

 LOSC 2-1 Dijon FCO 

Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "We're relieved and that's the overwhelming emotion, more than joy and pride. I came into the club firmly believing the club would stay up, although I didn't expect the task to be so difficult. I will see whether the president wants me to continue and then see if things can be modified in a radical manner as a lot of things need changing. We need experienced players who can set an example."

Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon coach): "I have to speak about the goals we conceded and how passive we were defensively. Some players lacked rigour. This sort of match hurts. It's time for the season to end as it's difficult to concede so many goals. We put the effort in but our marking is slack. We're staying up though and people didn't expect us to be as good in attack. It's a good season overall."

 AS Monaco 1-0 AS Saint-Etienne 

Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "This was a just victory, especially on the basis of the second half when Monaco played to win. Ruffier made two or three big saves but we moved the ball around well. My players showed the right attitude throughout. It's not over yet and we need to keep our heads on shoulders. If we win the next game against Troyes then it's done."

Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "Football was cruel to us on the night, even if we lacked technical control. When you don't score on the counter then this can happen. Monaco's goalkeeper was exceptional on two or three shots. There were a couple of surprising results tonight. We'll play our last game with the target of winning it and enjoying a party with our supporters."

OGC Nice  4 - 1  SM Caen

Lucien Favre (Nice coach): "Things went well for us as we scored two goals in 10 minutes and a third before the break. It was a pity that when we had the extra man we only managed a 1-1. The other results on the night weren't great for us. Lyon need a result next week too. It will be a final and we still have a chance of qualifying for the Europa League."

Patrice Garande (Caen coach): "The match was over inside two minutes. We didn't play and it's hugely disappointing in terms of the way we played and the attitude of the players. It didn't look like we were fighting to avoid the drop. When you are not aggressive enough then it is difficult to get a result. The battle will be with Toulouse as they play Guingamp and we play against Paris. We need a point."

RC Strasbourg Alsace 3-2 Olympique Lyonnais

Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "The lads did the work. I'm really happy that they succeeded. Nuno Da Costa freshened things up for us. The previous three Ligue 2 champions before us had all gone down. We're not going to shout it from the rooftops but this is an achievement. It all means that on the final day when we go to Nantes we'll be able to appreciate La Beaujoire that little bit more."

Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): "Crazy things often happen at the end of the season. At the end of the game we lacked experience. We should have looked after the ball and not left ourselves opened up. At the start of the game they put a lot of commitment in and we weren't able to deal with it. Now we have to pick ourselves up again and recover before facing Nice."

 Girondins de Bordeaux 4-2 Toulouse FC 

Gus Poyet (Bordeaux coach): "It was a beautiful evening and I asked the players to do what they'd been doing so well in recent weeks. It was a derby and we needed to win. To qualify for Europe, we'll need to win our game and hope other results go our way. I told my players that tonight was a semi-final and that we need to win next week's final. We'll do everything we can so that that happens."

Mickaël Debève (Toulouse coach): "It was a difficult game. We managed to open the scoring but then we conceded quickly. At 1-1 at half-time there were reasons to believe, especially with some of the opportunities to counter we had. We can still stay up outright but for that to happen we need Caen to lose. We're still alive and we'll focus on that. We need to play with freedom and not think about the standings."

 Montpellier Hérault SC 1-1 ESTAC Troyes 

Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "It was a great disappointment as we had the chance to give ourselves a little final at Rennes. We've only won five home games and that's not enough. We dropped two points against the club that are second-bottom of the table. It rather sums up our home season. We didn't show enough quality in attack."

Jean-Louis Garcia (Troyes coach): "The result is a huge disappointment given the way we played and the chances we had. We deserved to win. It rather sums up our season. We've had so many chances to kill off games. We're still alive in terms of getting a play-off place. It's so great to play in Ligue 1 and we'll do everything we can in order to beat Monaco. It will be a real Cup game."

 Paris Saint-Germain 0-2 Stade Rennais FC 

Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "Giving marks out of 10 is subjective but I'm happy and I'd give myself seven out of 10. I would like to thank everybody including the president. I would like to thank all the PSG fans.  We're happy with the trophies we won and this is a solid project. There needs to be patience in order to win the Champions League in the future."

Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): "When I took over the club on November 9, I don't remember people inside the club or outside it talking about Rennes qualifying for Europe. People don't remember that now. I'm really proud and really satisfied with the work we've done."

 Amiens SC 2-0 FC Metz 

Christophe Pelissier (Amiens coach): "Mentally it was difficult because we've given a lot this season and especially against Paris in our previous game. We'll retain the three points and the party with the fans. At the start of the season nobody expected us to do so well. I think we've deserved our five wins in seven games and at worst w'll finish 13^th. That's incredible for a promoted club."

Frédéric Hantz (Metz coach): "There's no ultimatum but we need to finish with the inertia and move forward. If we share the same ideas then we'll continue together. I don't know what the future holds but every day is important. I'm really frustrated because I was convinced that staying up was possible. I saw things in the dressing room that I'd not seen in my 20-year career and it disgusts me."

 Angers SCO 0-2 FC Nantes 

Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "We're disappointed above all. That said, it doesn't call into question our remarkable second half to the season. We came up against a hungry Nantes team that dominated us physically. We wanted to react to falling behind but didn't have the strength this time. Nantes played seriously and they were committed."

Claudio Ranieri (Nantes coach): "We played really well and we had some luck too. It's disappointing that I got two attackers back (Coulibaly and Sigthorsson) just for the last bit of the season. I would have liked to have given Sala a rest earlier in the season. It was one of our best games of 2018 and it was important to show that Nantes are capable of doing good things."

Friday, May 11, 2018

 EA Guingamp  3 - 3  Olympique de Marseille 

Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): "I am proud, even if some of the players were frustrated in the dressing room, because at one point we were leading 3-2 and had the extra man...But, well, when you have such a difficult start to a game...In the 14th minute, to be 2-0 down, especially against one of the big teams, is sometimes insurmountable. We showed our mental resources and lots of quality to be able to get a goal back before half-time against an excellent Mandanda. I am super proud by what they showed and for me it was quite a fair result, even if we might always be able to think differently."

Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "We lost the match, well, we didn't win it, because of the first goal they scored. We conceded two counter-attacks in the 40th and 45th minutes when we were 2-0 up. So our front four were excellent, but in those last five minutes they forgot to help us out. At 2-1 it was no longer the same match. We also forget to get going in the second half, and what happened happened. If we didn't win, it is first of all our fault."