Rennes keep Champions League hopes alive as Lyon stumble and survival race twists again
Stade Rennais secured European football for next season and kept their Champions League dream alive after coming from behind to beat Paris FC 2-1 at Roazhon Park.
Despite dominating much of the first half, Rennes fell behind shortly after the break when Willem Geubbels punished a defensive mistake to fire Paris FC ahead. Franck Haise’s side responded in style, turning the match around in two minutes. Estéban Lepaul headed in Quentin Merlin’s corner before Breel Embolo diverted Arnaud Nordin’s low cross beyond Kevin Trapp.
The victory guarantees Rennes a top-six finish and leaves them dreaming of Champions League qualification ahead of a decisive final-day trip to Marseille.
Lyon slip up at Toulouse
Olympique Lyonnais suffered a damaging blow in the race for Champions League qualification as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Toulouse FC at the Stadium. Toulouse struck early through Dylan Methalie, who finished low past Dominik Greif after being released into the box by Yann Gboho. Lyon pushed for a response and eventually levelled in the second half when captain Corentin Tolisso headed home from Endrick’s corner in the 71st minute.
However, the hosts reclaimed the lead just seven minutes later. Warren Kamanzi arrived in the box to meet Hidalgo’s delivery and fired Toulouse back in front. Despite Aron Dønnum’s late red card, Toulouse held firm, with Guillaume Restes producing a key save from Endrick in stoppage time.
The result leaves Lyon fourth on 60 points, one point behind Lille, who moved onto the podium after winning away at Monaco. Rennes are also now just one point behind OL heading into the final day.
Auxerre climb above Nice as relegation battle twists again
Elsewhere, Auxerre gave themselves a huge boost in the battle for survival with a 2-1 win over OGC Nice at the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps.
Nice had made the perfect start through Sofiane Diop, but Sékou Mara equalised before half-time. Lassine Sinayoko then completed the turnaround with a powerful second-half strike, lifting Auxerre above Nice and pushing Les Aiglons into the relegation play-off place.
Angers also confirmed their Ligue 1 survival after a 1-1 draw against Strasbourg at Stade Raymond-Kopa. On an emotional night for Pierrick Capelle and Abdoulaye Bamba, Julio Enciso gave Strasbourg the lead from the penalty spot, only for Goduine Koyalipou to equalise in the second half. The point was enough to secure Angers’ safety, while Strasbourg’s hopes of European qualification came to an end.
Lorient ended the evening in emphatic fashion with a 4-0 win away to already-relegated Metz. Jean-Victor Makengo opened the scoring before Bamba Dieng, Arthur Avom Ebong and Noah Cadiou struck late on after a match interruption caused by smoke bombs at Saint-Symphorien.
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