The evening began at the Terrain d'honneur Gérard Houllier with Jule Brand scoring inside ten minutes and ended at the Stade de la Mosson with Paris FC securing their playoff berth. In between, six matches removed almost all of the season's remaining uncertainty. The top four is set. The bottom two is set. The only questions left are where each club finishes and whether ASSE or Montpellier can save themselves in the final fortnight.
Lyon Save Their Legs, Not Their Standards
Jonatan Giraldez named a rotated side against Dijon, with one eye firmly on Sunday's UWCL semi-final first leg at Arsenal. It made no difference to the outcome. Brand opened the scoring in the 9th minute, Katoto doubled the lead in the 28th, and two second-half goals from Tarciane in the 48th and Vicki Becho in the 57th completed a 4-0 win that felt entirely routine. Lyon's form heading into the Arsenal tie reads 18 wins and 2 draws from 20 league games, with 72 goals scored and just 9 conceded. Giraldez will have liked what he saw in terms of squad depth. His starters will have appreciated the rest.
Paris FC Edge PSG, Nantes Confirm the Four
The more consequential business happened in the race for seeding. Paris FC made the trip to bottom-placed Montpellier and won it through a Chloé N'Gazi own goal in the 52nd minute, bundled in under pressure, and a clinical Lou Bogaert finish in the 58th. The victory takes Paris FC to 42 points and second in the table, a single point clear of PSG with two games remaining.
PSG did their job in the early kick-off, beating Saint-Étienne 2-0 with Merveille Kanjinga breaking the deadlock in the 52nd minute and Romée Leuchter adding a second in the 73rd. It was Leuchter's latest contribution to what has been a remarkable personal season, and another clean sheet for Paulo César's side, who now sit third on 41 points.
FC Nantes completed the playoff confirmation with a controlled 2-0 win at Marseille. Léa Khelifi scored the opener in the 21st minute and Mariam Toloba added the second just after the break in the 48th, her seventh league goal of the season. All four playoff berths are now sealed: Lyon, Paris FC, PSG and Nantes, in that order.
Gbedjissi's Winner Gives Lens Room to Breathe
The match that mattered most to the clubs at the bottom was played at the Stade Océane in Le Havre. RC Lens arrived on 12 points, level with the two relegation sides, and with Sarah M'Barek clear that only a win would do. In the 71st minute, Aude Gbedjissi delivered it, scoring her 11th league goal of the season to put the visitors 1-0 up. Lens held on. They are now tenth on 15 points, three clear of ASSE and Montpellier who remain level on 12, both in the bottom two with two matches to play.
Around the League
FC Fleury 91 3-1 RC Strasbourg — Chloe Fernandes gave Fleury the lead in the 39th minute and Emelyne Laurent and Laura Ribadeira put the result beyond doubt in the 79th and 82nd. Amber Barrett pulled one back for Strasbourg in the 71st but it amounted to nothing. The win keeps Fleury fifth on 32 points, but the playoff door is firmly closed.
