Montpellier leaves it late against Lille

Montpellier maintained its three-point cushion over PSG, which defeated Rennes
3-0, and dropped defending champion Lille out of the title battle ahead of the
final weekend of the season.

PSG was set to close within one point with Montpellier and Lille scoreless in
a battle of top-three clubs, but Fana scored late as Montpellier put itself in
position to secure the title even with a draw in its final match.

Lille will finish third, but that does secure Champions League play.

PSG 3, Rennes 0

Paris, France – Nene scored a hat trick as PSG defeated Rennes, 3-0, on Sunday
at the Parc des Princes to keep alive its title hopes entering the final week
of the Ligue 1 season.

PSG is three points behind leader Montpellier, which beat Lille 1-0 on Sunday,
and needs a win in its final match and for Montpellier to lose its final game.
PSG and Montpellier are level on goal differential.

Rennes lost its third straight and slipped to seventh place.

Marseille 3, Auxerre 0

Marseille, France – Rod Fanni, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andre-Pierre Gignac all
scored as Marseille sealed Auxerre’s relegation with a 3-0 win Sunday at the
Stade Velodrome in Ligue 1.

Auxerre is at the bottom of the table on just 34 points, and can only overtake
Dijon on the final weekend of the season. Marseille is 10th, and will try to
secure a top-half finish in its final match.

Nice 1, Evian 1

Nice, France – Nemanja Pejcinovic canceled out his own own goal as Nice tied
Evian, 1-1, at the Stade Municipal du Ray to enter the final weekend of the
season one point clear of the relegation zone.

Nice is in 13th place, but will need a win to secure its survival. Evian sits
ninth, and will finish in the top half.

Ajaccio 1, Lyon 1

Ajaccio, France – Eduardo Dos Santos converted a penalty kick as Ajaccio tied
Lyon, 1-1, on Sunday at the Stade Francois Coty in Ligue 1 to take its battle
for survival into the final day of the season.

Bafetimbi Gomis scored in the 53rd minute for 10-man Lyon, but Santos answered
from the spot in the 59th as Ajaccio remained level 38 on points with Caen and
Brest, but in 18th place on goal differential.

Lyon secured a fourth-place finish and Europa League play next season.

Sochaux 3, Caen 1

Caen, France – Slovan Privat and Loic Poujol scored in the first half to spark
Sochaux to a 3-1 win over Caen that lifted it out of the relegation zone ahead
of the final week of the season in Ligue 1.

Thierry Doubai added a late goal at the Stade Michel d’Ornano as Sochaux moved
up to 15th place, but is still just one point clear of the bottom three. Caen,
which lost its second straight, is 17th and level with two other clubs.

Brest 1, Valenciennes 0

Brest, France – Bruno Grougi scored in the first half and Brest took a major
step toward survival with a 1-0 win over Valenciennes on Sunday at the Stade
Francis-Le Ble.

Brest climbed to 16th place, even on points with Caen and Ajaccio but ahead of
both on goal differential entering the final week of the season. Valenciennes
is 12th, but just two points above the bottom three.

Bordeaux 1, Lorient 0

Bordeaux, France – Yoan Gouffran converted a penalty kick in stoppage time as
Bordeaux beat Lorient, 1-0, on Sunday at the Stade Chaban-Delmas for its fifth
straight Ligue 1 win.

Bordeaux is fifth in the table, while Lorient is 14th and just one point clear
of the relegation zone entering the final week of the season.

Dijon 1, Toulouse 1

Dijon, France – Abdoulaye Meite scored as Dijon tied Toulouse, 1-1, on Sunday
at the Stade Gaston Gerard, but the club needs a win in its final game of the
season to avoid relegation.

Dijon is in 19th place and two points behind a group of three clubs all on 38
points, and three points behind three more clubs on 39 points. Toulouse tied
its third straight and is in eighth place.

Nancy 3, St Etienne 2

Nancy, France – Benjamin Moukandjo scored twice as Nancy beat St Etienne, 3-2,
on Sunday at the Stade Marcel Picot to secure its place in Ligue 1.

Yohan Mollo also scored for Nancy, which notched all three goals in the first
half. Nancy is 11th, and six points above the relegation zone with one fixture
remaining. St Etienne is sixth.