Lille reach Champions League, Sochaux go down (AFP) Saturday 17 May 2014 Share Lille clinched a UEFA Champions League place after beating Lorient 4-1 on the final day of the French Ligue 1 season, while Evian defeated Sochaux 3-0 to retain their top flight status at the expense of Saturdays opponents. Needing victory to assure themselves of a third-place finish and a spot in next years Champions League third qualifying round, Lille fell behind at the Stade Moustoir after Jeremie Aliadieres 22nd-minute opener for the hosts. However, Lille, who have occupied no lower than third position since October, replied through leading scorer Salomon Kalou ten minutes later. Having laid on the first goal Nolan Roux then put Rene Girards visiting side in front seven minutes after half-time, heading into an unguarded net after Lorient goalkeeper Fabien Audard flapped unsuccessfully at a Florent Balmont cross. Another blunder from Audard presented Kalou with his second, Lilles third, on 65 minutes as he bundled home from close range to take his seasons tally to 16. A late own-goal from defender Gregory Bourillon added further gloss to the scoreline. That rendered Saint-Etiennes 3-1 victory at home to rock-bottom Ajaccio irrelevant as Les Verts had to settle for fourth and a Europa League berth. Loic Perrin headed in Max-Alain Gradels cross to put Saint-Etienne ahead at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard before the in-form Mevlut Erding doubled their lead after Gradel squared to the unmarked Turkish striker, who slotted home his 12th goal this term. Perrin put the game out of reach with his second of the evening after the interval before Issa Baradji pulled one back for Ajaccio in stoppage time. Sochaux sent down Sochaux were consigned to the second tier after their seven-match unbeaten run was abruptly ended by relegation rivals Evian. Herve Renards men required a victory over Evian to stay up but soon found themselves on the back foot at the Stade Bonal, where they had been unbeaten since January, as Danish international Daniel Wass fired in an acrobatic volley on nine minutes. Sochaux were well and truly up against it when Aldo Angoula slid in at the far post to net a second for the visitors just before the break, while Wass sealed the three points and Evians place in Ligue 1 next season with a third 18 minutes from the end. Champions Paris Saint-Germain set a new record for wins in a season with their 27th of the campaign courtesy of a 4-0 rout of Montpellier. Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted his league best 26th goal, while Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lucas and Adrian Rabiot also got on the scoresheet as the capital club extended their record points haul to 89. Lyon earned a place in the Europa League next term following a 1-0 win at Nice. A sixth-minute header from Burkina Faso defender Bakary Kone saw Lyon finish fifth, one point ahead of Marseille, who beat Guingamp by the same scoreline. Elsewhere, Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Bordeaux in what was likely Claudio Ranieris last match in charge of the principality side. Bastia goalkeeper Mickael Landreau kept a clean sheet in his final league game as the islanders were held to a goalless draw against Nantes in Corsica.
Posted on: Sat, 17 May 2014 22:43:16 +0000
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