Best of 2025-26: Best Match
With the curtain having come down on the 2025/26 Ligue 1 McDonald's season, in a new series, the editorial staff picks their favorite moments of what was a thrilling season, continuing with the Best Match. Join George Boxall, Eric Devin and Luke Entwistle for a bumper review.
Matchday 17: Auxerre 3-4 Lille
This was a topsy-turvy encounter unfurled at the Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps just before the holiday break. Haakon Haraldsson put Lille into an early lead, but a Nathan Ngoy red card gave Auxerre the momentum. Lassine Sinayoko equalised before a Clement Akpa's red card levelled up the number of players on the field, too.
These 10 minutes from Auxerre vs Lille. PURE MADNESS. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Mn98OmwkCD
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) December 14, 2025
Despite that, L'AJA took the lead through a Chancel Mbemba own goal, only for Lille to come roaring back thanks to goals from Nabil Bentaleb and Soriba Diaoune. Sinayoko thought he had salvaged a draw, only for Benjamin André to net an 86th-minute winner. Just to add to the drama, there were two further red cards. - GB
Matchday 34: RC Strasbourg 5-4 AS Monaco
Both of these sides saved the best for last in a thrilling encounter that featured several fine goals and a historic comeback from the hosts, who were 4-1 down early in the second half. Despite Europe being off the table for Gary O'Neil's side, the Englishman fielded a strong XI for the season's final league match at home, wanting to give the club's fervent supporters the proper send-off. With Monaco still pushing for a place in Europe, the task before the was no easy one, even if the visitors were lacking several key players.
Strasbourg vs. Monaco. A crazy match! 😱 pic.twitter.com/Muwfb6OxfH
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 17, 2026
Monaco took a commanding lead, with Lamine Camara scoring a sumptuous pair of goals, but the hosts stormed back, with Diego Moreira offering a rapidfire response to Folarin Balogun having made it 4-1 after the break. From there, Sebastian Nanasi netted a quickfire double before Martial Godo gave his side the win, the young Ivorian having opened the scoring in the first half. Julio Enciso was the Man of the Match for the hosts, setting a top-flight club record for most assists in a match with three as Racing ended their season in style. - ED
Matchday 3: Toulouse FC 3-6 Paris Saint-Germain
There have been some real crackers in Ligue 1 McDonald’s, right down to the final matchday when Strasbourg pulled off a stunning comeback, coming from 4-1 down to beat Monaco 5-4. Rennes beating PSG (3-1), despite an interim manager being in charge at the time, is also up there, given the shock factor. But how can you look past PSG 6-3 Toulouse? What was spectacular here was not the quantity of goals but the quality of them.
The scoreline wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggests, with two of Toulouse’s three goals coming late on. If the game was already decided long before the final whistle, it is because of the diminutive Joao Neves. The Portugal international scored one of the best braces, not just in Ligue 1 McDonald’s, but in any league, ever. Two of them were sublime overhead kicks, carbon copies, almost, perfectly executed. Genuinely breathtaking, and his third wasn’t bad either, a thunderbolt from the edge of the box. It was the best individual performance of the season, the one that lingers in the memory, and by extension, also the best game of the season, in my opinion. LE
