LYON: Olympique Lyonnais and Strasbourg both recorded comfortable wins in Ligue 1 on Saturday to remain neck-to-neck in the race for Champions League football next season, while Le Havre held AS Monaco to a stalemate that condemned Montpellier to relegation.

Malick Fofana, Core­ntin Tolisso, Alexandre Lacazette and Georges Mikautadze were all on target as Lyon cruised past Rennes 4-1.

After the vital win, Lyon captain Lacazette promised the race for the Champions League would be “exciting until the end” as two points separate the second- to seventh-placed teams in the Ligue 1 table.

Liam Rosenior’s vibrant young Strasbourg side kept their European dreams alive with a 3-1 win over struggling Saint-Etienne.

They sit sixth, level on 54 points with Lyon.

Second-half goals by Emanuel Emegha and Dilane Bakwa sealed the win after Zuriko Davitashvili had cancelled out Diego Moreira’s early opener for the hosts.

Bottom-of-the-table Montpellier were condemned to Ligue 2 after 16th-placed Le Havre held second-placed Monaco to a 1-1 draw.

With four matches remaining in the campaign, Montpellier trail Le Havre, who occupy the relegation play-off spot, by 13 points.

Paris St Germain have already sealed the Ligue 1 title.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2025