Match Reports
ASSE Stave Off Direct Relegation as Lille Drop Points and More!
AJ Auxerre 1-1 FC Nantes
The first 45 minutes nearly provided a scoreless first half, but Auxerre opened the scoring thanks to a goal from Gaëtan Perrin. Despite conceding a goal right before halftime, Nantes responded with an early goal in the second half courtesy of a strike by Louis Leroux.
Once Antoine Kombouaré and his team leveled the scoring, neither side could break the deadlock and both squads left with a point, which is valuable to Nantes.
AJA will finish comfortably in the middle of the Ligue 1 McDonald’s table, but the squad wants to finish the 2024-25 season on a positive note. Meanwhile, Nantes need every point heading into next weekend’s final matchday as they currently have 33 points, two points above Le Havre, who have 31 and sit in the playoff relegation spot.
Stade Brestois 2-0 LOSC Lille
It was all Brest in this contest as one goal late in the first half and another early in the final 45 minutes was enough for Éric Roy and his team to play spoiler and take all three points from a Lille side battling for a UEFA Champions League position.
Ludovic Ajorque broke the scoreless deadlock in the 42nd minute while Kamory Doumbia added the insurance goal in the 64th minute to seal the victory for Brest. Lille picked an inconvenient time to drop three points, but the good news for Les Dogues is that they remain level on points with OGC Nice for the Champions League qualifying position heading into the last matchday of the season.
AS Saint-Étienne 2-0 Stade de Reims
ASSE were desperate for points in an attempt to avoid direct relegation and they got them while scoring two goals and recording a clean sheet. Florian Tardieu opened the scoring in the third minute to give Les Verts positive momentum in a must-win match for them.
Toward the end of the first half, Irvin Cardona added a second goal to give Eirik Horneland and his team the eventual win. Good fortune was also on ASSE’s side as they needed Le Havre to lose or draw against Olympique de Marseille to have a chance to avoid direct relegation.
Le Club Doyen fell to OM 3-1, resulting in them staying on 31 points while ASSE are right behind them with 30 to finish in the playoff relegation spot. Les Verts will need to win again next weekend against Toulouse while needing Le Havre to either lose or draw.
Reims’s loss to Saint-Étienne isn’t ideal as they stay on 33 points, but with Le Havre losing, they remain two points above them heading into the final matchday. All Reims need to do is beat Lille or get certain results to go their way next weekend, and they will stay in France’s top flight.
RC Lens 1-1 Toulouse
Yann Gboho broke the scoreless deadlock between the two sides in the 47th minute after a scoreless first half. Despite Toulouse taking a one-goal lead, Lens responded in the 61st minute to level the scoring, and that’s how the contest finished with each side sharing a point.
Lens and Toulouse are firmly in the middle of the Ligue 1 McDonald’s table, but they’re too far down to challenge for a European spot while too far up to worry about relegation. The two sides, however, could use the final two matchdays to end the season on a good note and build positive momentum for the next campaign.
The Stat: 2
After scoring twice in the first half against Reims, ASSE went into halftime with a two-goal lead in a Ligue 1 McDonald’s match — their first time doing so this season.
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