Ligue 1: Brest in the Champions League, Lyon and Lens in Europe, Lorient relegated… Lessons from the last day
Ligue 1 2023-2024 bowed out on Sunday, May 19, with the multiplex of the 34th and final day of the season. With PSG already crowned champion of France, Monegasques assured of finishing runners-up and Clermont Foot conversely already condemned to Ligue 2, there remained several unknowns to be resolved at all levels of the championship.
From the race for the Champions League between Brest and Lille to the jump-off between Metz and Lorient, passing through the numerous contenders (Lens, Lyon, Marseille) for the last European place: this ultra-spectacular 34th day held in suspense until the very last seconds of this season.
Knocked off the podium on the 33rd day by Losc for the first time this season, Stade Brestois turned things around to regain their third place on the gong. Tied on points with Losc at kick-off, Brest started with an unfavorable goal difference. But on the pitch in Toulouse, the Pirates finished the season with a bang (3-0). Three points which were only enough for the Bretons in the event of a poor performance by Lille against Nice, already assured of a fifth qualifying place for the Europa League.
Trailing for a long time, Losc regained control in the second half through Haraldsson and André, and thought they would hold their third place. But Lotomba’s equalizer in added time (2-2, 90th+3) sealed the northerners’ hopes. It is indeed Brest which finishes third and qualifies directly for the C1, alongside PSG and AS Monaco. Fourth, Losc will have to go through the third preliminary round then through a play-off to join the Champions League. In the event of defeat, the Mastiffs will be transferred to the Europa League.
After its defeat in Reims on Wednesday, an alignment of planets was needed for OM to qualify for a European Cup next season. The first condition was to see Marseille win on the Le Havre pitch. A condition painfully fulfilled by the Marseillais, 2-1 winners at the Océane stadium. Except that at the same time, neither Lens nor Lyon lost, thus sounding the death knell for the European hopes of OM, eighth.
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