Monaco finish season in style; Marseille take Europa spot

PARIS: Monaco celebrated their Ligue 1 title by beating Stade Rennais 3-2 away for a 12th straight win on Saturday, finishing the season eight points clear of deposed champion Paris St Germain.

Monaco, who prevailed with goals by Fabinho, Jemerson and Jorge, finished with 95 points, just one shy of the French record set by PSG a year ago.

PSG conceded an injury-time equaliser in a 1-1 home draw with Caen. The result was priceless for the visitors, ensuring survival in a tense relegation fight.

Bastia and Nancy were relegated and 18th-placed Lorient face a playoff against Ligue 2’s third-placed Troyes to keep their place in the elite after their 1-1 draw against Girondins de Bordeaux. A defeat would have relegated Lorient and put Nancy into the playoff on goal difference.

Lorient were moments away from staying up until Ronny Rodelin swept in a 91st-minute equaliser for Caen, having earlier missed a penalty. Caen also had a goal controversially disallowed, and when Rodelin did finally score, his goal set off scenes of wild delight.

Olympique de Marseille secured a Europa League spot by finishing fifth with a 1-0 home win against Bastia that relegated the Corsican club to Ligue 2.

Nancy dealt St Etienne a 3-1 loss in Christophe Galtier’s final game in charge of Les Verts, but the result was not enough to spare them from joining Bastia.

Bordeaux finished sixth and will play in the Europa League provided PSG beat Angers in next Saturday’s French Cup final.

Monaco sealed the title midweek and their players spray-dyed their hair in the club’s colours to celebrate.

Fabinho tucked home a rebound to give Monaco a first-half lead at Roazhon Park, and defender Jemerson added a second from a corner shortly after the interval.

Brazilian full-back Jorge then netted his first Monaco goal in between a brace from Adama Diakhaby as Leonardo Jardim’s side surpassed Bordeaux’s single-season mark of 11 straight wins set during the 2008-09 campaign.

Midfielder Adrien Rabiot put PSG ahead early but striker Edinson Cavani failed to improve on his league-leading 35 goals at the Parc des Princes.

With three minutes to go, Caen midfielder Julien Feret thought he scored but the goal was ruled out because one of his team-mate’s was adjudged to be offside.

But Caen coach Patrice Garande was dancing with delight when Rodelin atoned for a penalty miss to keep Caen in the top flight.

Alexandre Lacazette hit his 100th Ligue 1 goal in his final appearance for Olympique Lyonnais with a brace in a 3-3 home draw against Nice.

The France striker, who is leaving his boyhood club this summer with Atletico Madrid touted as a possible destination, netted twice in the second half to finish with a career-best 28 league goals.

He was removed to a standing ovation before the finish, but Nice levelled at the death when Jean-Michael Seri converted a penalty deep into injury time at Parc OL.

Marseille striker Bafetimbi Gomis scored his 20th league goal with a header to ensure fifth place for Marseille and a spot in the Europa League for Rudi Garcia’s men.

Nicolas de Preville struck a hat-trick as Lille romped to a 3-0 victory over Nantes, while Dijon were grateful to a missed penalty from Martin Braithwaite as a 0-0 draw at Toulouse handed them the point needed to remain in Ligue 1.

Angers won against visiting Montpellier 2-0, and Guingamp beat Metz 1-0.

Final standings

(Tabulated under played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Monaco 38 30 5 3 107 31 95

Paris St Germain 38 27 6 5 83 27 87

Nice 38 22 12 4 63 36 78

Olympique Lyon 38 21 4 13 77 48 67

Olympique Marseille 38 17 11 10 57 41 62

Girondins Bordeaux 38 15 14 9 53 43 59

Nantes 38 14 9 15 40 54 51

St Etienne 38 12 14 12 41 42 50

Stade Rennes 38 12 14 12 36 42 50