FOOTBALL - FRANCE

Down to the wire

Tuesday 06 May 2008

French football season's final verdict: Lyon earned their seventh title in a row, struggling Paris Saint-Germain stays in first division, Lens sinks to second and Marseille will play in next season's Champions League.

As the “Ligue 1” championships drew to a close, title favourites Lyon had not yet secured the crown. Bordeaux, hot on their heels in second place, were just two points behind. The scramble to avoid dropping to the second division was also up in the air.

Metz were already sure to drop and Strasbourg (19th, four points behind Lens, the first team outside the relegation zone) was on the edge, while Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Toulouse and Lens had to fight  it out in a last-ditch effort to keep playing with the big boys.
 

Lyon becomes a legend

Lyon could have won its seventh title in seven years with only a draw against Auxerre, but concluded the season with a spectacular 3-1 win. The players put aside their fears and the championship team got back on track with two games to go keeping their rivals at bay.

In Auxerre, they killed the thrill only seconds after the beginning of the game, with a goal from rising striker Karim Benzema, aged 21. Benzema was best striker of the season with 20 goals.

Bordeaux, second in the standings, gave all they got in Lens, but it wasn't enough to dethrone Lyon. They finished in a well-deserved second place and qualified for the Champions' League.


Marseille snatch third place

In the race for the third place, Marseille passed Nancy in the very last round with a win against Strasbourg, already condemned to second division. Marseille suffered, but their stars Mamadou Niang, Djibril Cisse and Samir Nasri pulled out a decisive victory.

Consequently, Nancy are the great losers of the day. They played decently all season but disappointed their fans in the most important game, their last one against Rennes.


Paris freed

Paris Saint Germain, Toulouse and Lens were struggling down to the wire to stay in the first division, and finally Paris and Toulouse stayed afloat.

Two goals from Paris' player Amara Diané will go down in the club's history as he stepped up in Sochaux. Lens couldn't beat Bordeaux and northern France drowned in tears on Saturday night.