Marseille, Monaco Clinch Champions League Qualification From Ligue 1
Mason Greenwood's brilliant late strike helped Marseille beat Le Havre 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday and clinch qualification for next season's Champions League, while Monaco defeated Lyon to secure their own spot at Europe's top table. Both sides came into the penultimate night of the French campaign knowing wins plus favourable results elsewhere could secure a top-three finish behind champions Paris Saint-Germain with a game of the season to spare. Marseille got the job done away to relegation-threatened Le Havre, but it looked set to be a frustrating night for them despite Amine Gouiri putting the visitors in front.
The match was held up for around half an hour in the second half due to unrest caused by the presence of Marseille supporters in the home areas of the stadium, and when the action restarted Issa Soumare equalised for Le Havre.
However, Greenwood produced a moment of magic to put Marseille back in front from a powerful long-range strike with five minutes left, the goal his 19th of the season in Ligue 1.
Gouiri then sealed the win in stoppage time with his second of the game, leading to coach Roberto De Zerbi racing down the touchline to join in the celebrations with his players and the travelling fans.
While Marseille were not involved in any European competition this season, Monaco made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League and they will be back among the continent's elite again in the next campaign.
Goals in the second half by Takumi Minamino and Denis Zakaria gave Monaco a 2-0 win over Lyon in the principality, dealing a huge blow to their opponents' prospects of getting the prize money from the Champions League that they so desperately need.
Lyon are seventh with one game left, although they remain three points behind Nice in fourth as well as Lille and Strasbourg, meaning the final spot in the Champions League will be contested by that quartet next weekend.
Nice went down 2-0 at Rennes, for whom Arnaud Kalimuendo scored twice, while Lille were beaten 2-0 away at Brest.
Ramos hat-trick for PSG
Meanwhile, Strasbourg suffered a surprise 2-1 loss at Angers, Esteban Lepaul netting both goals for the home side to inflict a first defeat in 13 matches on Liam Rosenior's team.
PSG have already wrapped up a fourth straight Ligue 1 title and rested several regulars for their 4-1 win at relegated Montpellier, three days after beating Arsenal to reach the Champions League final.
Teenager Senny Mayulu opened the scoring for PSG, who had lost their last two domestic outings, and Goncalo Ramos then netted a second-half hat-trick, including one goal from the penalty spot and one sensational strike from the edge of the area.
Tanguy Coulibaly pulled one back for Montpellier, who do not yet know the identity of the second team to be automatically relegated to the second tier.
Saint-Etienne remain second-bottom, but goals by Florian Tardieu and Irvin Cardona gave them a 2-0 win at Reims which leaves Les Verts just a point behind Le Havre in the relegation play-off spot.
Le Havre are two points away from outright safety, with Nantes not yet guaranteed to stay up despite a 1-1 draw at Auxerre, and French Cup finalists Reims also still at risk of going down.
Toulouse and Lens drew 1-1 in the night's other game, while earlier Lorient sealed the Ligue 2 title ahead of Paris FC, who are also promoted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Watch: RCB Fans Brutally Troll CSK's IPL Winner At TNPL Game. Return Gesture Is Viral
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed S Badrinath is a longtime supporter of Chennai Super Kings and played for them from 2008 to 2013. He won two IPL titles with CSK in 2010 and 2011, along with a Champions League title in 2010. Badrinath was recently trolled by RCB fans during a Tamil Nadu Premier League match, responding positively. S Badrinath has been one of the staunchest supporters of Chennai Super Kings and has in the past indulged in banter regarding RCB not winning the IPL before 2025. Badrinath made his debut for the five-time in 2008 season and played for them till 2013. Badrinath won two IPL titles with CSK in 2010 and 2011 along with a Champions League Twenty20 title in 2010. Recently Badrinath was trolled by Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans during a Tamil Nadu Premier League match. He gestured thumbs up to the fans. Here's the video of his humiliation. — (@vinoo_96) June 10, 2025 Meanwhile, The share prices of United Sprits went up by over 3 per cent on Tuesday after reports surfaced that its parent company - Diageo - was looking to sell stakes in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Social media was abuzz with rumours with many suggesting that company was looking to capitalise on RCB's victory in IPL 2025. However, United Spirits issued a clarification denying any such reports. "This has reference to your email communication dated 10th June 2025 seeking clarification from the Company on media reports in relation to potential stake sale of RCB. The Company would like to clarify that aforesaid media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussions," United Spirits told the Bombay Stock Exchange and BSE Surveillance Department. Meanwhile, former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi has strongly criticised the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise and the Karnataka state government for the tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and left several others injured during the team's victory parade in Bengaluru earlier this month. Following RCB's maiden IPL title win, thousands of jubilant fans gathered outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, where the official celebrations were held. However, the event took a devastating turn as the overcrowded venue led to chaos when fans attempted to forcefully enter the stadium, resulting in a deadly stampede. Speaking exclusively to IANS, Lalit Modi expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims and labelled the incident as a case of gross mismanagement. "First and foremost, my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the stampede. This should never have happened. The entire event was poorly planned and executed," Modi said. "There is so much mudslinging and finger-pointing going on, but the issue is simple — the event should never have been allowed without proper arrangements in place. The authorities failed, and the team management should also have ensured fan safety before participating in the so-called celebrations."
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Dutch girl footballers tackle crippling knee injuries
Fifteen-year-old Esmee Stuut sprints between cones on a football pitch in the Netherlands, her every movement captured on camera as part of a study into a crippling knee injury that affects girls more than boys. Cruciate ligament injuries can rule out a footballer for several months and teenage girls are especially at risk for physical and mental reasons. The study Esmee, a youth striker at FC Groningen in the north of the country, is taking part in aims to improve the movement of female teenage footballers like her. "A lot of girls of my age have had it. I'm happy to be able to do my bit to help out," the young player told AFP, breathless from the sprinting exercise. The Netherlands is a hotbed for women's football, with the national team crowned European Champions in 2017 and reaching the World Cup Final in 2019. The small country has 175,000 women club members, with the figure constantly rising. France, for example, has just over 250,000 for a much bigger population. "Girls are between four to eight times more likely to get injured than boys at puberty," said Anne Benjaminse, a professor at Groningen University. "The difference starts at around 12," the sports science specialist told AFP. And the problem is not just physical Benjaminse is also looking into the mental health aspect which she believes plays a major role. Girls mature at different times to boys, ligaments are more fragile during periods. Add to this stress, mood, and fatigue and you get a potent cocktail that results in injury. "Divorce, death, moving around, but also a bad grade at school, an argument. These are small things to us but are big problems for them" that can contribute to physical injury, Benjaminse told AFP. Her study, run in co-ordination with European football's governing body UEFA and the Dutch Football Association, looks at girls and young women aged between 12 and 21. In addition to examining physical movement, participants fill out a form detailing their moods over the previous week, enabling researchers to make a link to mental health. The aim is that mental health and movement become a "standard element" in clubs' training methods at the same level as gym work and nutrition, she said. "This should no longer be called into question. Girls should be able to speak out if they don't feel right and coaches should take it into account," the 44-year-old said. Back on the pitch, Esmee Stuut performs shuttle runs with rapid changes of direction, with and without the ball, then takes on a defender who appears suddenly. Henderika Kingma, 28, manager of the FC Groningen women's team and Esmee's coach, says two of her players suffered cruciate ligament injuries right at the end of the season. "We have to do everything we can to prevent this injury happening to our young players," Kingma told AFP. "Thanks to this study, I know that my girls have become aware" of the issue, she added. Despite the study and raising awareness of the problem, sports scientist Benjaminse is also philosophical about the injury. "Sometimes it's just bad luck." cvo/ric/phz
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
South Africa eye redemption, Australia chase legacy as WTC final begins at Lord's
ANI WTC final 2025: Australia aim to defend their crown as South Africa chase history at Lord's Some things happen so regularly that they start to feel like an exception to the rule. Like Roger Federer losing only one grand slam final to a player who was not Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Like Real Madrid losing only 3 out of 18 UEFA Champions League finals. Like the Australian men's cricket team losing only 3 out of 13 ICC finals across three formats – ODIs, T20Is and Tests. To think of any other outcome feels like wishful thinking. And then there is this complete opposite to this dominance. Call it underachievement, if you will. Whether it's the '90s generation in men's professional tennis who could only win two grand slams in comparison to 80 by the players born in the '80s, or Arsenal who have managed to reach just one Champions League (and lost it), or the South African men's cricket team who have reached just two ICC finals -- the Champions Trophy in 1998, which they won and the T20 World Cup in 2024, which they lost to India. It is this contrast that will be on display when Temba Bavuma's South Africa take on Pat Cummins-led Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final starting on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) at Lord's. The Proteas will have their task cut out to achieve the exceptional -- stop the pedigreed Kangaroos from winning their 11th world title, and win a second trophy for themselves. But Australians are not going to be their only opponents. South Africa will also be fighting against the perceptions that they didn't fairly earn their place in the final, having taken an easier route by playing fewer Tests and against weaker opponents. So much so that the naysayers have started questioning the very format of the WTC, with Wisden Cricketers' Almanack calling the final as a 'shambles masquerading as a showpiece'. 'The ICC cannot allow the championship to continue as if designed on the back of a fag packet,' wrote Lawrence Booth, Wisden's editor. Yet, it's the very gripe that underlines the success of the format. The WTC is clearly imperfect with teams playing unequal number of Tests during the two-year cycle – Australia played 19 Tests to South Africa's 12 in the previous cycle, for instance. But the anomaly is of the making of the socalled big three who never agree to schedule series of adequate length against South Africa or others. If the true purpose of the WTC was really to provide meaning to bilateral Test cricket, South Africa's place in the final should be celebrated, rather than whined about. The moment India lost 0-3 to New Zealand at home in November last year, South Africa's subsequent home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan became vastly meaningful. South Africa's presence, like New Zealand in 2021, gives hope to the world that Test cricket maybe struggling in countries other than India, England and Australia but it hasn't lost charm. That despite the ever-widening gulf between the haves and have-nots, they can still challenge for the global titles. While Australia are definitely the favourites to defend their title, South Africa are far from sitting ducks. With both sides having concerns in the batting department, the Test will probably be decided by the bowlers. And South Africa are a good match for Australia with their pace triumvirate of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi being as spiteful as Australia's troika of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Nathan Lyon may be a more accomplished spinner, but Keshav Maharaj can carry the hopes of his team. When South Africa step onto the Lord's hallowed turf, they will feel the weight of history and perception on their shoulders. But in the next five days, Bavuma and Co. can shed that weight and prove the doubters wrong while providing a new direction and motivation to the sport in their country.
