With one more round left to play, the Division 1 Féminine managed to find a champion and also see a team drop from the first division down into the second.

Dijon 0 - 4 OL

After dismantling the only challengers to their title campaign in the last round of matches, Olympique Lyonnais made sure of their 13th consecutive league title by blowing away Dijon FCO with a four-goal win. OL had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock after threatening all of the first half and their pressure finally told in the 48th minute. After some great build up play, Eugénie Le Sommer hit the post from close range but Amel Majri followed up the play and slid the ball home. OL made it two in the 62nd when Le Sommer scored the second with a thunderblast of a shot that flew into the corner of the net. Griedge Mbock Bathy nodded home powerfully from a corner in the 65th minute to make it three and Shanice Van de Sanden tucked the ball home from close range after being picked out by Delphine Cascarino's square ball in the 86th minute. Dijon did create a few chances of their own, particularly in the 60th minute but Sarah Bouhaddi was up to the task whenever called upon.

The win leaves OL as champions of France once again with one more match left in the season. The newly crowned champions will now focus on reaching another UEFA Women's Champions League final and another Coupe de France Féminine final. The loss for Dijon however, leaves them in a precarious position near the bottom of the table. They are three points clear of the relegation zone but will have to wait until the final matchday to see if they did enough to stay in the top flight for another season.

Metz 3 - 1 Rodez

In what was deemed as a relegation decider, FC Metz proved victorious on the day against Rodez AF and gave themselves one more chance to escape the drop.  Kimberley Cazeau broke the dradlock in the 25th minute when she raced on to a long ball over the top and finished well past the advancing goalkeeper, giving Rodez the lead. Flavie Lemaitre then failed to put Rodez up by two goals in the 31st minute when she fired her penalty high over the goal. That miss was punished six minutes later when Meryll Wenger scored an absolute peach of a goal after she gathered a pass well before chipping the goalkeeper from a tight angle. In the second half, Metz pushed themselves further ahead when Léa Khelifi produced a beautiful curling free kick that left the goalkeeper standing in the 54th minute. Amélie Delabre then made sure of the points in stoppage time when bent her effort into the far corner after Metz had caught Rodez out on the break.

Metz keep themselves above the relegation but will to win their final game of the season to remain in the first division. Rodez and especially Cazeau will look back on this match with regret as they had more than one opportunity to not only level the score but also take the lead in the first half. They will now have to prepare for life in the Division 2 Féminine.

Lille 1 - 0 Soyaux

With so little time left, Lille OSC know that any points they pick up now could mean the difference between top flight status or the drop, that is why their win over ASJ Soyaux in Week 21 could be a massive result for them. The game was marred with fouls and inconsistent play which meant that both sets of fans had to wait a long time before a telling contribution was made. It finally arrived in the 90th minute when a long throw-in was not cleared well enough by Soyaux and it led to Lina Boussaha picking out an unmarked Jessica Lernon who finished well past the advancing goalkeeper. That led to huge celebrations from the entire Lille team and their fans as that goal could prove pivotal for them.

Lille are still in the relegation zone but are now only one point away from safety. They face Montpellier HSC next while the team above them, FC Metz will travel to face the holders OL. Lille have every chance of staying in the top division if they manage to win against Montpellier. Soyaux remain in sixth despite the loss and will be content with how their season played out. They will look to end their season on a high though in the final round of matches.

PSG 6 - 2 Bordeaux

Despite having an outstanding season, FC Girondins de Bordeaux where shown just how far off they are from the top two teams when they were trounced away to Paris Saint-Germain. PSG were looking to try and keep pace with OL despite knowing that their loss against them had effectively ended their title challenge. They bounced back from that defeat by putting six goals past Bordeaux last week Wednesday. Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who is in a close race with OL's Ada Hegerberg for the top goalscorer this season, sent PSG on their way after she capitalised on a mistake at the back in the 11th minute. Katoto then added her second of the day a minute later when another slack pass at the back for Bordeaux allowed her to get the ball at the top of the box where she proceeded to fire into the top corner. Kadidiatou Diani made it three in the 20th minute with an effort that nestled into the corner after PSG had got forward well, and added her second of the day eight minutes later. Carol Rodrigues made the scoreline slightly less embarrassing for Bordeaux in the 43rd minute but the  match as a competition was over at that point. Katoto added two more goals in the second half to her tally and Delphine Chatelin added another to Bordeaux's total but ultimately, the visitors were handed a heavy loss.

With OL's win, PSG had nothing left to play for but full credit should go to them for bouncing back so well after such a crushing result in the previous round. They will finish second this season and have booked their spot in next year's Champions League competition. Bordeaux may have been handily defeated in Week 21 but they have the chance to finish fourth should results go their way in Week 22. That will certainly give them a great platform to go into next season with.

Paris 0 - 1 Montpellier

The battle between the so-called third and fourth best teams in France saw Montpellier HSC came away from Paris with a one-nil victory over Paris FC. Th eonly goal of the game came in the 72nd minute when Sofia Jakobsson was played through on goal then proceeded to hold off her marker before slotting the ball home, underneath the goalkeeper's dive. Montpellier should have put themselves ahead early in the match when Estelle Cascarino was adjudged to have handballed inside the penalty area but Janice Cayman's effort was saved by Camille Pecharman.

The win leaves Montpellier in third with one more match to play. Considering the season that they had, moving up into third should be regarded as an accomplishment as they were much further back in the table when the league returned from the winter break. Paris move into fifth due to this loss and will be unhappy to see Bordeaux above them in the table. A poor start to the season and a chance in managers did not help them find consistent form throughout the season.

Fleury 91 1 - 2 Guingamp

FC Fleury 91 and En Avant de Guingamp came into Week 21 knowing that their first division future was not entirely set yet for next season. Guingamp managed to secure all three points and made sure that they will be a certainty in Division 1 Féminine next season. Louise Fleury's brace which happened due to goals in the 37th and 63rd minutes of the match gave Guingamp a deserved win. Melissa Roy brought Fleury back into the match with a goal in the 90th minute but with so little time remaining, the hosts were unable to snatch a draw from this match.

Guingamp leapfrog Fleury with this win and now sit in seventh with one more match left this season. Fleury slide down into eighth and will be happy to see that results elsewhere have secured their stay in the top flight for another season as well.

VAVEL Logo
About the author