Aside from the drama of European qualification, Lorient nearly pulled off a historic comeback to avoid the drop. Read more in our Matchday 34 roundup!
FC Lorient 5-0 Clermont Foot 63
It was all hands at the pump at the Stade Moustoir as Les Merlus battled desperately to secure their Ligue 1 Uber Eats survival. Buoyed by Paris Saint-Germain’s win over FC Metz (link), the hosts were seeking to overcome a seven-goal margin necessary for their survival, as well getting a win.
Despite a flurry of second-half goals agains already-relegated Clermont, including a brace from Bamba Dieng off the bench, Lorient would ultimately fall one short, losing out to Metz on their head-to-head records. Nonetheless, their valiant effort underscored just how thrilling this final matchday was.
AS Monaco 4-0 FC Nantes
Already assured of finishing second behind Paris Saint-Germain against an FC Nantes side who had secured their survival, the Monégasques put on a show for their home fans. Wissam Ben Yedder, who recently became the club’s second-higest scorer and made his 200th appearance, found the net early doors, and goals from Thilo Kehrer, Mohamed Camara and Eliesse Ben Seghir rounded out a complete performance from Adi Hütter’s side.
WHAT A MONTH FOR MAAMMA 🇲🇦🔥
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 19, 2024
🆕 May 12: Pro debut
⚽️ May 19: First start & first goal pic.twitter.com/zmcNBUYCxe
Racing Club de Lens 2-2 Montpellier HSC
Despite taking a 2-0 lead and getting the upper in hand in the race for sixth place against Olympique Lyonnais (link), with Elye Wahi scoring against his former club and Deiver Machado adding a second in first-half stoppage time, RC Lens had to settle for a draw. Montpellier scored two second-half goals, including one from teenager Othmane Maamma, making his first start, to leave the hosts regretting missed opportunities as they would finish the season in seventh place.
Stade de Reims 2-1 Stade Rennais FC
Reims ended their season with a second successive win over Stade Rennais. Veteran captain Yunis Abdelhamid signed off in style with a rare goal, with Sergio Akieme later doubling the lead. Fabian Rieder pulled one back for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough as both sides ended their campaigns short of the European places.
