For the last day of Ligue 1 in 2023, all the teams played simultaneously this Wednesday evening. While OL and PSG won, Marseille and Lens saw the podium slip away.
Head above water. By beating Nantes at home (1-0), Olympique Lyonnais finally escapes the relegation zone. In a closed encounter, Pierre Sage’s men left the ball to the Canaries who failed to create danger (0 shots on target). And it was a counterattack led by the trio of Gones Tolisso – Cherki – Lacazette which offered, at the start of the second half (49th minute), a third success in a row for the Lyonnais.
After the victories against Toulouse (3-0) and Monaco (0-1), OL went on to a third match without conceding a goal for the first time in five years, an astonishing statistic but revealing of solidity and serenity found under the orders of interim Pierre Sage, who should continue his mission. While waiting for reinforcements, this winter, to bring a little more ambition into the game and definitively distance themselves from a red zone which remains the main concern of the season between Rhône and Saône.
Marseille stalls, the podium slips away
Yet also with good momentum, the other Olympic team lost its teeth in Montpellier (1-1). The Marseillais quickly conceded the opener (Fayad, 14th) before pushing to equalize (Veretout, 52nd), without managing to take the advantage at the end of the match. L’OM will spend the break in 6th place, six points from the podium and still in the race for a ticket to the Champions League.
On the podium, Paris easily beat Metz (3-1) with a double of Mbappé and maintains a five-point lead over Nice, who achieved a valuable success against RC Lens (2-0). The Aiglons have consolidated their status as dolphin of League 1 thanks to the lightning double from luxury joker Terem Moffi (76th sp, 78th). The Sang et Or, seventh, saw the podium move away slightly, with the simultaneous victory of AS Monaco on the pitch in Toulouse (1-2). A double from the inexhaustible Wissam Ben Yedder (26th, 44th) responded to the early opening score of Frank Magri (5th) and the Monegasques then held on at 10 against 11 after the expulsion of Golovin (51st). The Toulouse residents, too innocuous even with numerical superiority, fell to 16th place in the play-off.
Brest dreams of Europe, Clermont cannot cope
Behind them, Lorient fell heavily at Brest (4-0) and moved to 17th and first relegation. The Brestois continue their momentum thanks to an exceptional quadruplet from the young Malian Kamory Doumbia in the first half (22nd, 25th, 29th, 45th+3): the Finistère club is 4th at the break, two points from the podium. They overtook Lille in the standings, which lost to Strasbourg (2-1) and moved to 5th. Reims is still on the lookout in the race for Europe after its narrow victory against Le Havre (1-0), quickly gaining numerical superiority and thanks to a goal from Keito Nakamura (25th).
Finally, the Rennais Stadium found the path to victory in Clermont (1-3). The Bretons took advantage of the expulsion of Caufriez (45th) to turn the match around in the second half thanks to the achievements of Kalimuendo (52nd), Désiré Doué (88th) and Blas (90th + 7 sp), after being led 1-0 at the break following Nicholson’s quick goal (4th). Clermont is bottom of Ligue 1 with 11 points, while Rennes moves up to 10th place.