Soccer-PSG beat Auxerre, St Etienne relegated on final day of Ligue 1

genus paris -Paris St Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice in the back half as the Ligue 1 champions came from slow to bunk Auxerre 3-1 to terminate their season on a winning note after falling behind to a Lassine Sinayoko strike. 

At the other end of the table, St Etienne were beaten 3-2 at home by Toulouse and will join already-relegated Montpellier in Ligue 2 next season after finishing second from bottom, while a late penalty lifted Le Havre to a 3-2 win over Strasbourg and 15th place, leaving Reims to finish 16th and a promotion/relegation playoff against FC Metz.

PSG finished on 84 points, 19 ahead of runners-up Olympique de Marseille and 23 ahead of third-placed AS Monaco, who both qualify directly for the Champions League group stage, while OGC Nice thumped Brest 6-0 to finish fourth and enter that competition in the third qualifying round.

PSG may have won the title in early April with six games left to play, but there was still plenty of drama on the season’s final day as European, relegation and playoff places were decided.

The biggest drama of the evening came at Strasbourg where a 2-2 draw would have sent visiting Le Havre to the promotion/relegation playoff against FC Metz. However, a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time gave Le Havre a 3-2 win that saw them leapfrog LOSC Reims to 15th in the table and safety.

That left Reims, who lost 2-1 away to Lille as their hosts secured fifth place and a spot in next season's Europa League, to face a tricky playoff with Metz.

Metz beat Dunkerque earlier on Saturday with a bizarre own goal in second-half stoppage time to give themselves a shot at getting back to the top flight.

The Le Havre result also had repercussions for Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Angers 2-0 but looked set to miss out on the Europa Conference League, but Strasbourg’s failure to take a point at home saw Lyon edge them on goal difference to claim sixth spot and a berth in Europe.

Strasbourg could still find themselves in international competition next season if PSG beat Reims in the French Cup final next Saturday.

Unbeaten when they secured the title, PSG looked set to fall to their third defeat in their six subsequent games when Sinayoko gave Auxerre the lead, but Kvaratskhelia came to their rescue.

The Georgian winger bundled the ball over the line for the equaliser in the 59th minute, and Marquinhos put them ahead with a downward header before Kvaratskhelia scored again late on, cutting across the box and firing home to wrap up their league season. 

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