Troyes have been relegated from Ligue 1 following a 2-1 loss to Valenciennes, while Lyon beat Rennes 2-0 to reach the UEFA Champions League.
Jean-Marc Furlan’s Troyes side knew they had to win and hope that Sochaux lost at Bastia to secure their status in the top-flight, but saw their hopes shattered as goals from Benjamin Angoua and Gregory Pujol condemned them to Ligue 2 after Benjamin Nivet had given the Coupe de France semi-finalists hope with an early strike.
That result made Sochaux’s 0-0 draw at Bastia immaterial, but there was plenty to play for in the top half, with a UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League place up for grabs.
Lyon booked their place in Europe’s top competition, easing past Rennes thanks to a first-half penalty from Lisandro Lopez and a stunning free-kick from Clement Grenier, who replicated his heroics against Nice by netting from over 30 yards out.
Lille knew they could secure European football with a home win over Saint-Etienne, but failed to deliver the goods as former Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou’s opener was cancelled out by winger Romain Hamouma early in the second half.
Rudi Garcia’s side’s stalemate allowed Nice to slip in and claim a Europa League berth, Claude Puel’s team easing to a 2-0 success at Corsican side Ajaccio, top scorer Dario Cvitanich notching his 19th league goal after 50 minutes before Eric Bautheac sealed the points late on.
Elsewhere Paris Saint-Germain had little trouble dispatching Lorient, Kevin Gameiro netting twice against his former club after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had put Carlo Ancelotti’s men in front, Arnaud Le Lan getting one back for the hosts from the spot after Roman Le Crom had been dismissed for bringing down Julien Querica.
Bordeaux won the warm-up to the Coupe de France final as a Cheick Diabate double proved to be enough to overcome Evian despite a penalty from Yannick Sagbo.
Reims earned a surprise point at Marseille with a goalless draw at the Stade Velodrome, a Wissam Ben Yedder brace inspired Toulouse to a 2-0 win over Montpellier, and Sebastien Puygrenier scored twice as Nancy won the battle of the already relegated sides at Brest 2-1.
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