The Japan Times - PSG beaten by Paris FC in Ligue 1 as Lille qualify for Champions League

PSG clinched a fifth straight French title, and a record extending 14th overall, with a 2-0 win over nearest challengers Lens on Wednesday, and they were handed the trophy in a low-key ceremony before kick-off at the Stade Jean-Bouin.

Coach Luis Enrique included many of his most important players in his line-up in PSG's last outing before they face Arsenal in Budapest on May 30, when they will attempt to retain the European crown they won for the first time in the club's history last season.

But they were dealt a blow when Ousmane Dembele, last year's Ballon d'Or winner and the newly-crowned Ligue 1 player of the season, came off before the half-hour mark in an apparent injury scare.

Bradley Barcola gave PSG the lead early in the second half, but substitute Alimami Gory equalised and then scored a stoppage-time winner for Paris FC, who finish 11th in their first season since promotion to the top flight.

Lille clinched third place and a return to the Champions League for next season, despite ending the campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Auxerre.

Malian international Lassine Sinayoko scored twice for Auxerre, once in each half, as his team secured survival.

Lille finish third because Lyon were not able to take advantage of their defeat -- OL were hammered 4-0 at home by Lens and so have to settle for fourth place.

Wesley Said bagged a brace for Lens and Florian Sotoca got their third in first-half stoppage time, with Florian Thauvin then getting the fourth after the break.

- Nice in relegation play-off -

Lens were already certain to finish as runners-up and will be in next season's Champions League, with the French Cup final to come against Nice next Friday.

Lyon will still enter the Champions League for the first time since 2020, but will start in the third qualifying round in early August and must come through two ties to reach the league phase.

Otherwise they will drop into the Europa League, a competition which Marseille secured qualification for by beating Rennes 3-1 at the Velodrome.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Amine Gouiri scored early goals and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got their third before Esteban Lepaul grabbed a consolation for Rennes, Ligue 1's leading marksman finishing with 21 goals for the season.

That result allowed Marseille to leapfrog Rennes into fifth on goal difference, meaning the Brittany side end in sixth and must now wait to find out which European competition they go into.

If Lens win the French Cup, Rennes will be in the Europa League, but otherwise they will go into the Conference League. If it is the former outcome, seventh-placed Monaco will snatch the last European spot.

- Crowd trouble in Nantes -

The principality side concluded a disappointing campaign with an astonishing 5-4 defeat away to Strasbourg.

Lamine Camara scored twice for Monaco either side of a Martial Godo goal, before Ansu Fati got a third for the visitors and an Ismael Doukoure own goal made it 4-1 early in the second half.

However, Strasbourg produced a stunning comeback, with Belgian international Diego Moreira reducing the arrears and Sebastian Nanasi netting twice to restore parity. Godo then won it for the home side with his second of the evening late on.

At the bottom, Nice were condemned to a two-legged relegation play-off against Ligue 2 side Saint-Etienne after they could only draw 0-0 with Metz.

That was while relegation rivals Auxerre won in Lille and Le Havre clinched survival by winning 2-0 in Lorient.

Some unhappy Nice fans invaded the pitch at full-time, with their team's Cup final next weekend now overshadowed by that impending play-off.

There were ugly scenes in Nantes, as the already-relegated home team's match with Toulouse was abandoned after angry fans got onto the pitch in the first half, with coach Vahid Halilhodzic attempting to confront some of the invaders.

K.Inoue--JT