OM outclass Monaco second, Rennes and Nice in Europe
Olympique de Marseille 4-0 RC Strasbourg Alsace
THE GAME
Marseille started the day in third place, behind Monaco in second place with a difference of four goals. They only needed a point to be certain of a place on the podium, but they had to improve the result of the principality team to take second place and guarantee a place in the group stages of the League. champions next season.
They fulfilled their end of the bargain by blasting Strasbourg in a noisy Vélodrome, with Amine Harit hitting the post early and Mattéo Guendouzi forcing a good save from Matz Sels before Gerson gave them the lead just after the half-hour mark Valentin Rongier cut the ball for the Brazilian who then passed Sels at his near post.
Strasbourg offered little future, but they needed a positive result to clinch a top-five finish and European qualification. Still, they hung on as Sels saved Guendouzi and Harit well in the second half, and the visitors crumbled in the closing stages.
Cengiz Ünder made it 2-0 in the 73rd minute, finishing for the first time after Arkadiusz Milik cleverly let the ball head for the Turkey international. Milik was the provider as Gerson scored his second goal of the match to make it 3-0 with a minute of regulation time remaining, and substitute Cédric Bakambu converted from close range to complete the scoring in added time.
Moments after the goal was scored, home fans began to gleefully celebrate when news emerged that results elsewhere were on track.
THE PLAYER: Gerson
Mocked at the start of the season for failing to live up to expectations after his cash-rich arrival from Flamengo, Gerson has emerged as a key player for OM. Here, with Dimitri Payet absent again, the Brazilian midfielder has emerged with two more important goals and he ends the campaign with 11 goals in all competitions.
THE STAT: 13
Marseille are unbeaten in their last 13 Ligue 1 meetings with Strasbourg.
monacoThe goal difference advantage meant an away win at RC lens would have secured second place, but they missed out on a 10th straight win by conceding on death to draw 2-2 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Przemysław Frankowski opened the scoring on the half-hour for Lens, who started the day with an outside chance to take fifth place and qualify for the Europa Conference League. However, Benoît Badiashile converted from close range just four minutes later to bring Monaco level, and Wissam Ben Yedder then continued his fine season by heading 2-1 up against the visitors in the second half.
Yet Ignatius Ganago’s goal six minutes into added time deprived Monaco of victory as they finish the season third and enter the Champions League in the third qualifying round in early August.
Stade Rennais FC started the day with a mathematical chance of finishing third but they needed Monaco or Marseille to lose and win at LOSC Lille. As it happens, they could only draw 2-2 against last season’s champions, who led twice thanks to goals from Timothy Weah. Benjamin Bourigeaud scored between the two for Rennes and they earned a stoppage time draw thanks to a Serhou Guirassy goal.
Rennes thus secures fourth place and a place in the Europa League, and OGC Nice recovered fifth and a place in the Europa Conference League as they came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Reims Stadium. Hugo Ekitiké and Moussa Doumbia scored early for Reims but Andy Delort pulled one back with a 75th-minute penalty and netted two more in the next seven minutes to complete a quick hat-trick as Christophe Galtier’s side climbed the above Strasbourg.
Somewhere else Olympique Lyonnais won 2-1 at Clermont Football 63. Moussa Dembélé and Houssem Aouar scored their goals before Mohamed Bayo netted one for the hosts.
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