Brest belied their status as one of the smallest clubs in France’s top flight by securing qualification for the Champions League for the first time in their history on Sunday, while Paris Saint-Germain completed their Ligue 1 campaign by beating Metz by 2-0 without Kylian Mbappe.
Lowly Brittany side Brest started the day in fourth place, behind Lille on goal difference, with Ligue 1’s top three going straight into next season’s expanded 36-team Champions League and the team in fourth entering the preliminary rounds.
Brest did their part by winning 3-0 in Toulouse thanks to second-half goals from Mahdi Camara, Jordan Amavi and Kenny Lala.
They then needed a favor in Lille, and they got one, as the home team conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 with Nice.
Lille were trailing through an early goal from Gaetan Laborde, but looked set to get the victory they needed when Hakon Haraldsson and Benjamin Andre scored after the break to turn the game around.
However, Jordan Lotomba’s injury-time goal earned a point for Nice, who had already secured fifth place and will be in the Europa League next season.
Lille, who reached the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2022, will now have to go through two qualifying rounds to reach the league stage of Europe’s elite club competition.
Brest have never finished higher than eighth in the top flight and will therefore play in Europe for the first time next season.
It is expected that Eric Roy’s side will have to play their Champions League home games at a neutral ground as their Stade Francis-Le Ble does not meet UEFA requirements.
“It’s difficult to describe the emotion. Even as a player, I’ve never experienced emotions like this,” said former Marseille and Sunderland midfielder Roy.
“That’s why we love football. I had already congratulated the boys for securing a place in the top four, but there was one more stage to conquer.
“We totally deserved it after the season we had.”
France captain Mbappe was left out of the PSG squad as the champions beat struggling Metz.
Mbappe, who will leave PSG at the end of the season after seven years, had already missed his side’s 2-1 victory over Nice in midweek due to a hamstring problem.
He did not travel with the team to Metz and was one of several first-choice starters who were dropped by manager Luis Enrique, whose team had already won the title.
Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos and Vitinha also did not participate, but PSG still secured victory thanks to early goals from Carlos Soler and Lee Kang-in.
Mbappé is still expected to play his last game for PSG in next week’s French Cup final against Lyon, before a likely move to Real Madrid next season.
– Lyon qualifies for Europe –
Despite the defeat, Metz still managed to stay up. They finish the season in the relegation play-offs, finishing above Lorient due to having scored more goals away from home in meetings between the two clubs.
Lorient’s 5-0 victory over Clermont meant they finished level with Metz on points and goal difference, but the Brittany club go straight into Ligue 2 with Clermont, while Metz will have a second chance to survive in a play-off against a second-tier team.
Elsewhere, Lyon completed a stunning turnaround in their fortunes, with Alexandre Lacazette’s stoppage-time penalty securing a 2-1 victory over Strasbourg that saw them clinch European qualification.
Lyon were bottom at the start of December and looked favorites for relegation, but their recovery under new coach Pierre Sage has been impressive.
They have recorded 15 wins in their last 20 league games, with Lacazette scoring the decisive goal after his opener was canceled out by Habib Diarra.
Lyon finish sixth, overcoming Lens after squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Montpellier.
Sage’s side are therefore expected to play in the Europa League next season before heading to the French Cup final against PSG next weekend, while Lens will finish seventh and be in the Conference League.
In other games, runners-up Monaco defeated Nantes 4-0, while Marseille lost their place in European competitions despite a 2-1 victory in Le Havre, and Reims defeated Rennes 2-1.
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