Lyon, Brest and Lorient light up Ligue 1 on a final day full of drama

And just like that, another Ligue 1 season has come to an end. The title had long been decided but the final day served up more than its fair share of drama across nine matches. From Lorient’s heroic attempt to avoid automatic relegation to Brest turning in a bravura performance to secure passage to the Champions League via a top-three finish, this was, despite the absence of Kylian Mbappé, a fine advertisement for the quality of the league.

Nowhere witnessed more drama than Lyon. After sinking to the bottom of the table in early December, five points adrift of safety, they rallied in the second half of the campaign under Pierre Sage. With the help of several well paid January signings, including Saïd Benrahma and Nemanja Matic, they climbed up the table and went into the last day of the campaign knowing they would finish in sixth – and qualify for the Europa League – if they picked up a better result than Lens.

Come half-time on Sunday it looked like Lyon were going to fall short. Lens had built a 2-0 lead against a Montpellier side who were assured of a mid-table finish and were without Téji Savanier. Lyon, meanwhile, had a tight 1-0 lead against a scrappy Strasbourg side. When Habib Diarra equalised for Strasbourg early in the second half, cancelling out Alexandre Lacazette’s opener, it seemed it was a bridge too far for Sage and his players.

The drama kept coming at the Groupama Stadium, though. Strasbourg won and missed a penalty in the 77th minute, before Lyon were denied one of their own after an intervention by VAR. The hosts eventually secured the win they needed in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Inevitably, it was Lacazette who scored, coolly slotting home for a 2-1 win. Montpellier did them a big favour, scoring twice in the second half to draw with Lens and ensure that Lyon will play in the Europa League next year, having climbed 12 league places in 20 rounds of fixtures.

Lorient also contributed to the theatre of the final afternoon, nearly achieving what had seemed impossible before the day began. Trailing Metz in 16th by three points and a seven-goal differential, Lorient needed to beat Clermont, hope that Metz lost to Paris Saint-Germain and make up that goal difference.

Lorient took the lead in the 40th minute and then the floodgates opened, with a brace from Bamba Dieng helping them win 5-0. It was a heroic effort but they fell short by the slimmest of margins. With Metz losing 2-0, the two teams finished level on points, goal difference, head-to-head record, and goals scored and goals conceded in those matchups, so were finally separated by the sixth tiebreaker: away goals in head-to-head matchups. The fact that Metz scored three goals in their away game at Lorient in November, compared to the two Lorient scored at Metz in February, means Metz have a chance to stay up through the relegation playoff whereas Lorient have been sent down.

Brest and Lille also provided a dose of drama as they battled it out for third place and a spot in the group stage of the Champions League. The teams went into the final day level on points, with Brest up against Toulouse and Lille facing Nice. Gaëtan Laborde opened the scoring for Nice, but Paulo Fonseca’s side gamely battled back, taking a 2-1 lead through their captain Benjamin André with 20 minutes to play. Brest were winning easily in Toulouse, but Lille’s superior goal difference was taking them into the top three.

And then it all went wrong for Lille, Jordan Lotomba scoring a 93rd-minute equaliser for Nice. Lille were stunned, their hopes of an automatic place in the Champions League undone by some sloppy marking at the back post in the final few minutes of the season. Finishing fourth means they will have to go through the playoffs to reach the group stage.

Brest have reached the Champions League for the first time in their history and it took everything they had to clinch third place on the final day. They dug in to get the result they needed, as they have done so many times this season – recall their dramatic 5-4 win over Rennes, and late wins over Lorient and Marseille in recent weeks.

The final round of games was a fine summary of a season of razor-thin margins and also a reminder that the league can be entertaining with or without Mbappé. Ligue 1 is going from strength to strength thanks to its diverse mix of innovative coaching, talented youngsters and canny veterans. It is a thrilling division that generates excitement from top to bottom and continues to cast off its out-of-date “farmers’ league” reputation.

Talking points

Marseille went into the final week of the season with an outside chance of finishing sixth and reaching the Europa League, but their hopes were derailed in an unlikely midweek loss to Reims. They won at Le Havre on the final day but had to settle for eighth, one point behind Lens. They did, though, receive some good news when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored 30 goals this season, said he will stay at the club and help take Marseille back to the top. With PSG’s future cloudy, and Brest facing the difficulty of balancing European football and domestic commitments, his decision looks like an intelligent one.

Didier Deschamps announced his France squad for the European Championships on Thursday. The unlikely return of N’Golo Kanté took the headlines but Bradley Barcola’s first call-up also caught the eye. The PSG winger, signed from Lyon for what seemed an eye-watering €45m, is still just 21, and has struggled at times in what is only his second season of professional football. But Deschamps’ call-up is more than merited, offering evidence of France’s seemingly endless talent and Luis Enrique’s faith in young players.