Ligue 1 Review | Stakes raised in historically tight Champions League race | OneFootball

The Ligue 1 season is drawing swiftly to a close, and while Paris Saint-Germain sealed the title a month ago, the race for the podium and with it Champions League football remains historically tight, with nothing yet decided as we enter the final two games of the 2024/25 campaign.

We’re all set for a grandstand finish as only two points separate Olympique de Marseille in second from RC Strasbourg Alsace in sixth following this weekend’s results. The latest round of fixtures seemed to work just to raise the stakes in this wide-open and delicately balanced scramble, as almost all the European competitors came good.

OGC Nice set the tempo for the weekend with a 1-0 win over Stade de Reims on Friday night courtesy of a 15th-minute goal from Morgan Sanson. It was a victory that felt more like a job done, and puts the team on a three-game win streak – not bad considering they were only able to pick up a solitary point in March.

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Winning ways and unsatisfying draws

Strasbourg were the next up as they kickstarted the Saturday fixtures with a 2-1 win over PSG at the Stade de la Meinau. It was a game that left Le Racing’s immediate rivals grumbling as PSG made 10 changes from their midweek victory over Arsenal, as they prepare for the second leg on Wednesday night.

AS Monaco put the finishing touches on Saturday with a 3-1 away victory against relegation candidates AS Saint-Étienne. Like with Nice, the three points are what mattered, with Monaco given a brief scare as Saint-Étienne levelled the scores in the 65th minute, before goals from Al-Musrati and Folarin Balogun put the hosts to the sword.

All eyes were on Lille OSC and Marseille on Sunday night as they played out a cagey 1-1 stalemate in front of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. It was clear that the threat of what could be lost on this occasion was playing heavily on the minds of both teams. Neither would have been entirely satisfied with a draw, but it was far better than the alternative of losing ground in this tight race.

Lyon lack composure in final stretch

As Lille head coach, Bruno Génésio said to reporters after the match, it’s anyone’s guess who could end up in the Champions League spots. “Nothing has been decided, it’ll all be decided on the final day, [and it could take] until the final minute. It will be the teams that will have the most composure and that can best manage their emotions that will make it to the end.”

There was only one team in the European pack that could not keep their composure this weekend, as Olympique Lyonnais slipped to seventh after suffering a big blow to their Champions League chances. The 2-1 defeat at home to RC Lens leaves the club with only a slim possibility of landing a place in Europe’s most prestigious competition.

Mathematically, they are still in with a chance, but the devastated reaction from the players at the final whistle was telling. Five points away from Marseille with two games left to play means that their hopes rest on a complete collapse from the five teams above them. However, at least until next weekend, nothing should be ruled out in this remarkable end to the year.

This week’s Ligue 1 subplots

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GFFN | Nick Hartland