Olympique de Marseille, hanging on to Lorient (0-0), could not win a ninth victory in a row away from home and find themselves two points behind Lens (2nd), Sunday April 9, at the end of the Matchday 30 of Ligue 1. Monaco also lost points following their match against Nantes (2-2). On the other hand, Lyon’s victory against Rennes (3-1) kept OL’s hopes alive.
At the end of the weekend, only two teams in the top 5 can smile: Paris SG, still leading with 6 points ahead after their victory on Saturday in Nice (2-0), and RC Lens, now only second in the standings after his success on Friday against Strasbourg (2-1). The capital club and its runner-up will face off next Saturday at the Parc des Princes for the match at the top of the 31st day.
For the other candidates for the Champions League, the rhythm is difficult to keep up. OM are the first to suffer, with this second draw in a row which makes them fall two lengths behind the Sang et Or. In Brittany, the Marseillais did not find the fault during a meeting without revolt. They could even have given in, especially on an attempt by their former striker Bamba Dieng, repelled by Pau Lopez (63rd). Pablo Longoria’s club, perhaps turned upside down by the drama of the collapse of a building in the Marseille city on the night of Saturday to Sunday, therefore remains on the bottom step of the podium, even if it retains its three points ahead of Monaco.
ASM, in fact, did not keep up the pace at La Beaujoire despite a two-goal lead at half-time. On the heels of their qualification for the Coupe de France final, Wednesday against Lyon (1-0), the Canaries and their public regained the upper hand in the second half, and the inevitable Ludovic Blas ended up equalizing in the 78th minute to give the FCN five points ahead of the red zone. “We clearly leave La Beaujoire with a bitter feeling”, railed on Canal Axel Disasi, disappointed scorer for Monaco, who also lets slip valuable points.
Desperate for elimination in the semi-finals of the Cup, Lyon can rub their hands in front of these results, after having signed a second success in a row in Ligue 1. After Paris SG (1-0), OL dominated the Stade Rennes after a stunning second period, and advanced to the end of the weekend in 7th place, with still intact chances of snagging 5th, synonymous with qualification for the Europa League Conference.
“You always have to believe in sport and in life,” reacted coach Laurent Blanc, so satisfied with his team’s second half that he did not make any changes. This success allows the Rhodaniens to come back to three lengths behind their opponents in the evening, sixth. And the defeat of 5th, Lille, in Angers on Saturday (1-0), gives them even more reason to believe in it.
In the fight to maintain, Ajaccio and Troyes have, for their part, fewer and fewer arguments on which to rely for their end of the season. The Corsicans (19th) were largely dominated (3-0) by a direct competitor, Auxerre (15th): the two teams are now separated by eight points.
Estac also lost at home, against Clermont (2-0), and stagnated in 18th place, ahead of Ajaccio and Angers and behind Strasbourg, beaten Friday by Lens (2-1). In 16th place, Brest almost carried out a superb operation, but Reims equalized from the penalty spot at the end of the game (1-1). And in the middle of the standings, Toulouse overtook Montpellier by winning 2-1 in Hérault.
