Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 10:58 PM• Yanick Vos • Last update: 23:02

The French title fight between Lille OSC and Paris Saint-Germain will be decided next Saturday. Lille could become champion tonight, but then PSG would have to miss points against Stade de Reims. However, the team of trainer Mauricio Pochettino had no child to the number thirteen of the Ligue 1 and won 4-0. List captain Lille got no further than a goalless draw against AS Saint-Étienne. Memphis Depay beat Nîmes 2-5 with Olympique Lyon. Because AS Monaco also won, the battle for third place is still completely open. In theory, Monaco could even run away with the league title.

Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Stade de Reims
It became clear early in the evening that Lille OSC should postpone the title party. Stade de Reims, where Kaj Sierhuis sat on the bench for ninety minutes, had to continue with ten men after ten minutes after captain Yunis Abdelhamid was sent off with a red card. He prevented a goal from Kylian Mbappé with his hand. The penalty that followed was used by Neymar: 1-0. With one man more, Pochettino’s team, with Mitchel Bakker in the base, had no children to the visitors. We had to wait for the 2-0, which fell after 24 minutes of play. The rearguard of Stade de Reims was fiercely chased by the PSG attackers, who suffered a sloppy ball loss during the build-up and Mbappé took advantage: 2-0. Even after the break, the home team ruled and it was Stade de Reims that tried to limit the damage. More than twenty minutes before the end, PSG got what it deserved when Thiago Silva scored with the head from a corner by Neymar. Just before time, the final score was determined by substitute Moise Kean.

Lille OSC – AS Saint-Étienne
If Lille would win and PSG would suffer damage against Stade de Reims, it could become national champion on Sunday evening. The list leader of the French Ligue 1, however, had a difficult time against the number eleven of the competition. The team of trainer Christophe Galtier, who was suspended in the stands, was serenaded by thousands of hopeful supporters before the match outside the stadium. The fans remain in suspense for another week, because a victory was not in the cards for the leader. It was even thanks to a number of interceptions by Sven Botman and José Fonte that the visitors did not run off with the victory. Just before the end, Yusuf Yazici had the best chance of victory on behalf of the home team. His bet, however, ended up on the post through the hand of goalkeeper Etienne Green. Due to the loss of points, Lille sees title competitor PSG approaching to a point. The decision will be made next Saturday when Lille visits Angers, the number twelve in Ligue 1.

Nîmes – Olympique Lyon 2-5
Nîmes actually needed a three-pointer against Olympique Lyon to still hope for continuation in Ligue 1. In that respect, the home team got off to a promising start, as Moussa Koné put the 1-0 on the scoreboard after five minutes of play thanks to a horrible Playback pass from Marcelo. Nîmes could not enjoy the lead for a long time, because three minutes later it was already right again via Lucas Paquetá. Within half an hour, Lyon seemed to end the game in the Stade des Costières. With twenty minutes on the clock, Léo Dubois served Memphis Depay, who released himself within the penalty area and outwitted goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet from close range. Four minutes later it was again hit: Paquetá picked up a shot turned by Reynet at the level of the penalty spot and lashed out effectively.

Despite chances for Paquetá and Depay, it took until the second half for Lyon to further increase the score. After two goals, Paquetá took an assist after 55 minutes this time, after finding Houssem Aouar in front of the goal and seeing him make no mistake there. Nîmes did not give up yet, because after more than an hour Koné signed for the 2-4 with his second goal of the evening. Shortly before the end, Islam Slimani took care of the final chord, resulting in a 2-5 score on the scoreboard after ninety minutes of play. Nîmes was relegated as a result of Nantes’ 0-4 victory over Dijon. Lyon is still fighting for the last day of Ligue 1 with AS Monaco for third place and with that a direct Champions League ticket.

AS Monaco – Stade Rennes 2-1
AS Monaco fired up against second-topper Stade Rennes in the hunt for the expensive points in the battle for a Champions League ticket. After sixteen minutes of play, Wissam Ben Yedder was the end station of a razor-sharp counter. Aleksandr Golovin launched the striker with an excellent through ball, after which Ben Yedder outwitted goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte with a lob. Thirteen minutes it was again hit for the home team. A long shot from Golovin was touched along the way, leaving Lecomte without a chance. It took a long time to score the next goal at the Stade Louis II. More than twenty minutes before the end, Stade Rennes managed to come back into the match. Monaco did not get a corner away, after which Axel Disasi changed direction a bet by Benjamin Bourigeaud and saw it disappear into his own goal. Stade Rennes did not come any closer and the visitors ended the game with ten men, after a red card for Damien Da Silva.