Courtesy: FootTheBall
Lille won the Ligue 1 title for the first time in ten years on Sunday night, defeating Angers SCO 2-1.
Christophe Galtier’s team led Ligue 1 for much of the second half of the season, and their struggle with Paris Saint-Germain came down to the final game of the season. Jonathan David and Burak Yilmaz’s goals were enough to put Paris Saint-Germain at bay.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Brest 2-0 but failed to win the title for the second time in nine years. After Lyon fell 3-2 to Nice, Monaco, who drew 0-0 with Lens, took the final Champions League spot. Lyon will play in the Europa League next season, while Marseille and Rennes will compete in the Europa Conference League.
Lille has put together a brilliant and entertaining side on a considerably less budget than its championship rivals, and Galtier’s superb man-management has seen almost all of their players grow under his tutelage. Lille has the top defence in Ligue 1, having conceded only 23 goals in 38 games, with Dutch center-back Sven Botman creating a formidable partnership with ex-Southampton and West Ham man Jose Fonte.
PSG had won seven of the previous eight Ligue 1 titles, but Pochettino’s team failed to win the trophy for the first time since finishing second to Monaco in 2016-17. Despite winning both the French Cup and the Trophee des Champions since the former Tottenham manager took over in January, eight league defeats have resulted in an ultimately unsuccessful league season.
Lille were fighting against relegation when they appointed Christophe Galtier in December 2017. They’ve now done what everyone said was impossible – outstripped PSG to win the Ligue 1 title.
𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 ⭐⭐⭐⭐#Champions4You @NewBalanceFR @NBFootball pic.twitter.com/LPpQCMCqDr
— LOSC (@losclive) May 23, 2021