Ligue 1 round 31: Marseille held by Nice, Metz in freefall, Troyes seal return | OneFootball

Ligue 1’s 31st round ended with Marseille and Nice sharing the points at the Vélodrome, while Metz and Nantes slumped and Troyes went up.

According to Le Progres, Benoît Tavenot’s side pinched a 4-4 draw at Le Havre after trailing four times, yet look almost condemned. Bottom-placed Metz have 16 points, nine behind Auxerre on 25 with three games left, and their -39 goal difference to -15 leaves them virtually down. Nantes face a similarly bleak run-in.

Troyes sealed a return to the top flight with a 3-0 win at Saint-Étienne on Saturday, with two rounds to spare, completing a three-year climb. Brest became the first Ligue 1 team since Ajaccio in October 2012 to fail to win after leading by three at half-time, when Ajaccio’s 4-1 interval lead over Lorient ended 4-4.

After a fraught week following the 2-0 loss at Lorient, Marseille’s fans gave the team a warm reception and unfurled several banners. A penalty won by Jonathan Clauss and an Elye Wahi panenka defined the 1-1 draw with Nice, with the hosts punished late.

After victory at Auxerre on Saturday, Corentin Tolission spoke of Champions League edging closer for third-placed Lyon. Lorient’s Le Moustoir had been a fortress since September, with wins over Monaco 3-1, Lyon 1-0 and Marseille 2-0, plus a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain. On Sunday, Olivier Pantaloni’s side led through Noah Cadiou on 26 minutes and a Pablo Pagis penalty on 54, but Strasbourg struck twice in stoppage time to win 3-2.

Source: Le Progres