Lionel Messi scored the decisive goal as Paris Saint Germain secured their 11th Ligue 1 title with a 1-1 draw against Strasbourg with a game to spare.
This win means that Messi has become the joint-most decorated player in football with 43 trophies alongside Dani Alves. PSG seemed to be having an off day until Messi opened the scoring with a superb right-foot effort into the top corner of the Strasbourg net after receiving Kylian Mbappe’s pass.
Kevin Gameiro later equalised to level the score late in the game.
The result put PSG on 85 points, ensuring that they stayed four points ahead of Lens, who secured the second position and a place in next season’s Champions League for the first time in 21 years, with a 3-0 victory over Ajaccio. Success comes despite the limited impact of head coach Christopher Galtier who came in midway through the season.
However, the coach is hopeful that having Messi in his team will enable him to make further progress in the next season.
“Everything was not perfect, but this title belongs to the players. Being French champions is always something,” said coach Christopher Galtier. “From a personal point of view, I appreciate it a lot.”
Marseille failed to beat Brest, resulting in them finishing third despite a 2-1 home defeat. Lille is in the race for a Europa League spot, leading it with a couple of Jonathan David penalties, securing a 2-1 home win against relegation-threatened Nantes. Rennes leapfrogged Monaco into fifth, defeating the principality side 2-0.
Troyes, Ajaccio, and Angers have already been relegated, and will soon be joined in Ligue 2 either by Auxerre or Nantes. Nantes are trailing by two points behind Auxerre before hosting the bottom side Angers while Auxerre entertain Lens.
