Lyon, Brest and Lorient light up Ligue 1 on a final day full

Lyon were bottom of the table in December yet somehow snatched a European place on the last day of the campaign

By Eric Devin for Get French Football News

And just like that, another Ligue 1 season has come to an end. The title had long been decided but the final day served up more than its fair share of drama across nine matches. From Lorient’s heroic attempt to avoid automatic relegation to Brest turning in a bravura performance to secure passage to the Champions League via a top-three finish, this was, despite the absence of Kylian Mbappé, a fine advertisement for the quality of the league.

Nowhere witnessed more drama than Lyon. After sinking to the bottom of the table in early December, five points adrift of safety, they rallied in the second half of the campaign under Pierre Sage. With the help of several well paid January signings, including Saïd Benrahma and Nemanja Matic, they climbed up the table and went into the last day of the campaign knowing they would finish in sixth – and qualify for the Europa League – if they picked up a better result than Lens.