Lyon, Brest, and Lorient light up Ligue 1 in a drama-filled final day.
And with that, another Ligue 1 season came to a close. The title had long been won, but the final day provided more than its fair share of drama with nine matches. Despite the absence of Kylian Mbappé, this was a fantastic advertisement for the league’s quality, from Lorient’s valiant attempt to avoid immediate relegation to Brest putting up a bravura display to secure a top-three finish and entrance to the Champions League.
Lyon was the epicenter of drama. After dropping to the bottom of the table in early December, five points beyond safety, they rallied in the second part of the season under Pierre Sage. With the help of numerous well-paid January acquisitions, including Saïd Benrahma and Nemanja Matic, they moved up the table and headed into the final day of the campaign knowing they would finish in sixth place and qualify for the Europa League if they picked up a better result than Lens.
Lyon appeared to be on the verge of defeat at halftime on Sunday. Lens had taken a 2-0 lead against Montpellier, who were assured of a mid-table finish and were missing Téji Savanier. Lyon, meanwhile, had a narrow 1-0 lead over a sloppy Strasbourg team. When Habib Diarra equalized for Strasbourg early in the second half, canceling out Alexandre Lacazette’s opener, Sage and his team appeared to have reached a breaking point.
However, the drama continued at Groupama Stadium. Strasbourg won and missed a penalty in the 77th minute, before Lyon was denied one after a VAR intervention. The hosts finally got the win they needed in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Inevitably, Lacazette scored, coolly slotting home for a 2-1 victory. Montpellier did them a major favor by scoring twice in the second half to tie with Lens and assure that Lyon will play in the Europa League next year, after climbing 12 league places in 20 rounds of fixtures.
