OL sends Clermont to Ligue 2
Clermont will have lasted three seasons in the elite. The Auvergnats are officially relegated after their defeat against Lyon (0-1). Far from being ridiculous, however, they failed to worry Anthony Lopes, except for a rush from Alan Virginius (12th).
We could then have believed in a wild match, even though Rayan Cherki had hit the post earlier (6th). This will not be the case, with a meeting stingy in chances, perhaps justified by the non-starting of Alexandre Lacazette (entered in the 75th minute). Only Cherki lit up the evening, with a nice hook to serve Orel Mangala to open the score (1-0, 49th).
It was enough for Les Gones, who returned to level with Lens, 6th, and can definitely dream of the European Cup. They would advance to the group stage of the Europa League in the event of victory in the Coupe de France, or a better result than Lens next week. Otherwise, it would take a draw against Strasbourg, on the final day, to keep seventh place, synonymous with the Europa Conference League play-offs.
Lorient almost condemned by OM
Four years later, Lorient is almost guaranteed to return to Ligue 2. The Merlus conceded their 19th defeat of the season on the OM pitch, the seventh in a row (1-3). However, they were honorable, especially during the first period, where they could have led the score.
Falling back on their five-man defense, the Bretons gave up the ball and went on the counterattack to get the best opportunities. But Imran Louza came up against Pau Lopez (22nd), when Panos Katseris narrowly missed the target (29th). Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not miss his chance, opening the score almost against the run of play with a header (0-1, 36th). The 28th goal of the season for the Gabonese, quickly followed by the first of the season for Samuel Gigot (0-2, 41st).
One might have thought the Olympian machine was finally launched, it was derailed just before the break. Chancel Mbemba lost a grotesque ball from which a clinical Benjamin Mendy took advantage (1-2, 43rd). But Aubameyang put them back on the right path, by converting a penalty obtained by Faris Moumbagna (1-3, 59th). The gap was made and the Lorient people were disappointed. They must now hope for a huge victory against Clermont, combined with a big defeat for Metz to close the three points gap and the seven goals behind on the goal average on the 16th. Mission almost impossible therefore.
On the Marseille side, success allows us to dream of a sixth place. This would require a victory in Reims, in addition to a defeat for Lyon against Strasbourg and a setback for Lens against Montpellier. A simple Marseille victory combined with the defeat of just one of its competitors would place them in seventh place, qualifying for the C4 play-offs if PSG wins the Coupe de France.
Nantes maintained thanks to the defeat on the edge of Metz
Metz long believed he was doing the right thing for the evening but was caught on the edge by Strasbourg. The Grenats were put into orbit by Georges Mikautadze, author of his 8th goal in 6 matches. The Georgian could even have made the break but he found the post after a solo rush (80th). A lack of success paid off in cash, since Emmanuel Emegha (1-1, 88th), then Andrey Santos (1-2, 90th+1), ruined their evening on the wire.
With these three points left on the way, Metz will probably have to go through the play-offs. The Lorraines are three points behind Le Havre, with a largely unfavorable goal difference (-21 against -10). The defeat also relieves Nantes, which therefore remains four points behind the play-off despite its defeat against Lille (1-2). And will therefore continue its adventure in Ligue 1 for the 12th season in a row.
2024-05-12 21:03:24
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