It's official, the Ligue 1 Uber Eats title race will go down to an enthralling final-day showdown between LOSC and Paris Saint-Germain as the battle heats up for French football’s most coveted prize. Meanwhile Nîmes' three-year stay in the top flight came to an end...
A full fixture list with all 20 teams kicking off simultaneously on Sunday night provided drama, goals, red cards and a relegation but still no iron-clad indication of which team will be crowned as champions.
Nervous LOSC stuttering over the line
LOSC’s indifferent home form once again raised its ugly head - at the worst possible time - as Claude Puel’s rejuvenated Saint-Etienne left with a point after a goalless draw at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
"We had a very bad start to the match, we weren't in our game plan at all," said LOSC boss Christophe Galtier after seeing his side struggle to break down a resolute Saint-Etienne backline. "There was a lot of nervousness, we were probably caught up in the game. Next week we will have to do better than PSG; this draw allows us to have our destiny in our own hands."
LOSC know that a win at Angers next weekend will see them lift their first title in a decade.
PSG ready to take advantage
Mauricio Pochettino’s side showed they are not ready to relinquish their title just yet, running out convincing 4-0 winners at home to Reims, who had captain Yunis Abdelhamid sent off early on.
A Neymar penalty followed by a 26th league goal of the season for Kylian Mbappé had Les Parisiens cruising at the break. Second-half goals from Marquinhos and substitute Moise Kean settled matters and kept the reigning champions on the coattails of LOSC - just a single point adrift with one match left to play.
"In football, the most important thing is to believe anything can happen," said a buoyant Pochettino ahead of the final round of fixtures. "We have to do our job and hope that Lille don't win in Angers."
PSG travel to Brest on the final day knowing that bettering Lille’s result will see them crowned champions for a tenth time.
Monaco continue to push
Meanwhile third-placed Monaco ended their home campaign with a 2-1 victory over Europa League hopefuls Rennes. First-half goals from Wissam Ben Yedder and Aleksandr Golovin put the principality side in the ascendancy. Rennes hit back through Benjamin Bourigeaud in the second half but had captain Damien Da Silva sent off late on. Rennes now need to better Lens's result on the final day to secure Europa League qualification.
Incredibly, Monaco head into the final day with a faint chance of either finishing the season as champions or missing out on Champions League qualification altogether.
Either way, coach Niko Kovac will be looking to cap a fantastic debut season in the principality dugout when his side visit RC Lens next weekend.
Five-star Lyon condemn Nîmes to relegation
Lyon stayed in the mix for a Champions League finish with a 5-2 win in Nîmes that consigned Les Crocodiles to relegation after a three-year stay in Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
Moussa Koné’s opener for the hosts only served to fire up Rudi Garcia’s troops, with the impressive Lucas Paqueta bagging a brace while Memphis Depay, Houssem Aouar and Islam Slimani all added to the tally.
Lyon finish their campaign at home to OGC Nice knowing that a victory and anything other than a Monaco win would see OL leapfrog their rivals and claim the final Champions League spot.
OM qualify, Lens continue to slip
Arkadiusz Milik hit a superb hat-trick to down Angers SCO 3-2 and all but assure Marseille of fifth place and a ticket to next season's Europa League. OM coach Jorge Sampaoli will be hoping the club can hang onto the Polish striker beyond his loan period after Milik hit eight goals in just 14 games to become the club's joint-top scorer despite only arriving in January.
OM's gain was made possible by RC Lens's loss. Les Sang et Or, who have exceeded expectations in their promotion season, have struggled of late and on Sunday fell to a third-straight defeat, 3-0 away to Bordeaux. Ui-Jo Hwang was among the scorers to help clinch a welcome three points for Les Girondins, who now need just one more point to confirm top-flight survival.
Big wins for relegation hopefuls
Nantes' great escape act continued in Round 37 with a 4-0 thrashing of basement boys Dijon. Two goals from Randal Kolo Muani helped Les Canaris to a fourth-straight victory that has Antoine Kombouaré’s side looking to leapfrog Lorient out of the relegation play-off place (18th) on the final day.
However, Les Merlus have wind in their sails as well, Jérôme Hergault's late strike sealing a 2-1 home win over Metz that kept a six-game unbeaten home run intact. Their final-day clash against survival rivals Strasbourg - who beat OGC Nice 1-0 on Sunday - is now shaping up as a winner-takes-all battle, with continued top-flight status the prize.
Montpellier and Brest battled out a goalless draw at the Stade de la Mosson. The visitors, not yet mathematically safe from relegation, still have work to do next weekend against Paris Saint-Germain.
