Rennes snatch fourth, Monaco miss out on Europe | OneFootball

Stade Rennais FC snatched fourth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League thanks to a 2-1 win at Stade Brestois 29 on Saturday while LOSC Lille drew and AS Monaco lost.

Stade Brestois 29 1-2 Stade Rennais FC

THE MATCH

Rennes began the day in fifth place, a point behind Lille in fourth and above Monaco in sixth only on goal difference. Bruno Genesio’s team therefore needed to beat Brest in a Brittany derby at the Stade Francis-Le Blé just to be sure of qualifying for Europe, and to give themselves a chance of capitalising on any slip-up by LOSC.

The visitors duly went in front in Brest, with Benjamin Bourigeaud netting a 13th-minute free-kick awarded for a foul on Jérémy Doku. However, the hosts drew level when Haris Belkebla – on his final appearance for the club – converted a penalty awarded for a handball by Hamari Traoré (36’).

Nevertheless, Rennes regained the lead in first-half stoppage time when Bourigeaud scored from the spot after Pierre Lees-Melou clattered into Lovro Majer and conceded a penalty (45+4’).

That put Rennes 2-1 up and that is how the game stayed as a frantic second half produced few clear chances. Genesio’s side end the campaign with four straight wins and take fourth place for the second season running. They will go into the Europa League group stage. Brest, who were already safe, finish 14th.

THE PLAYER: Benjamin Bourigeaud

Bourigeaud was the matchwinner for Rennes thanks to his dead-ball expertise. He finishes the season with seven league goals, and is the first player to score a free-kick and a penalty in the same match since Dimitri Payet, for Olympique de Marseille against RC Lens in September 2021.

THE STAT: 6

Rennes, who set a new club-record points tally with 68, have qualified for a sixth consecutive European campaign.

ESTAC Troyes 1-1 LOSC Lille

Lille began the day in pole position to take fourth, but they knew a slip-up could cost them dear. That seemed unlikely as they were facing a Troyes side already condemned to relegation and without a win since January 2.

Angel Gomes had a shot tipped onto the bar in the first half for Lille and also hit the post from a free-kick, before Adam Ounas had a goal disallowed early in the second half. Lille eventually went in front via a scuffed, deflected shot from Bafodé Diakité six minutes into the second half, but Troyes equalised through former LOSC player Rony Lopes in the 72nd minute.

That result, coupled with victory for Rennes, means Lille have to settle for fifth place and a spot in the Europa Conference League play-off round.

AS Monaco 1-2 Toulouse FC

Monaco had to win and hope for a slip-up from one of the two teams above them in order to salvage European qualification from a disappointing campaign. But they could not even fulfil their side of the bargain at the Stade Louis II.

Zakaria Aboukhlal scrambled Toulouse into a 70th-minute lead in the principality, but Monaco’s hopes were revived when Wissam Ben Yedder equalised from almost on the line (78’). Maghnes Akliouche then hit the post on two separate occasions for Monaco, and as they kept pushing for the winner they needed, they were caught on the break. Rhys Healey marked his return from nine months out with a knee injury to score a 94th-minute winner for the visitors.

Monaco must therefore settle for sixth and will not be in Europe next season.

OGC Nice 3-1 Olympique Lyonnais

Lyon came into the final day with the most remote of chances of taking a European place. They needed to win in Nice and hope for defeats for both Rennes and Monaco, while also wiping out a difference of nine goals between them and the Breton side.

In the event, Lyon could not even maintain their side of the bargain as they went down 3-1 at the Allianz Riviera. A calamitous own goal by Jérôme Boateng gave Nice a fifth-minute lead before Gaëtan Laborde nodded in the home side’s second goal (28’). More poor defending allowed Terem Moffi to make it 3-0 on 33 minutes, although Jeffinho did pull one back for OL before half-time.

Lyon finish the season in seventh place, with Nice in ninth.

Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Clermont Foot 63

Champions PSG confirmed Lionel Messi’s departure from the club at the end of his two-year deal just before they kicked off at home to Clermont at the Parc des Princes. Sergio Ramos, also playing his final game for the champions, headed the home side in front (16’) before a penalty was awarded for a foul on Achraf Hakimi. Kylian Mbappé stepped up to score from the spot for his 29th Ligue 1 Uber Eats goal this season (21’).

Yet Clermont produced a stunning fightback, with a Marco Verratti mistake gifting a goal to Johan Gastien to reduce the deficit. Grejohn Kyei then sent a penalty wide after a careless handball in the box by Warren Zaïre-Emery, but Mehdi Zeffane pounced on a handling error by Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 2-2 in first-half stoppage time.

Kyei then turned in Clermont’s winner with his knee just after the hour mark, as PSG slumped to a seventh league defeat in 2023. Clermont finish the season in eighth place.

>> ROUND 38 Fixtures/results