Ligue 1

A promotion/relegation playoff between Le Mans (third-place finishers in the Championnat National, France’s third division) and Gazélec Ajaccio (18th-place in Ligue 2, France’s second division) was decided in the most extraordinary of circumstances on Sunday. 

The first leg, played at MMArena in Le Mans last Friday, finished 2-1 in favor of Gazélec. Accordingly, the Ligue 2 side was heavily favored to retain its division two status ahead of today’s return leg at Stade Ange Casanova.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé was awarded the National Union Of Professional Footballers’ Ligue 1 Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards at an event on Sunday night.

His PSG strike partner Neymar was nowhere to be found, despite being in Paris.

But the Brazilian had a really good reason to miss out on the award ceremony, and it had nothing to do with the Game of Thrones finale. 

Paris Saint-Germain continued to play out the string on Saturday against Angers. Having clinched the Ligue 1 title and after suffering a shock loss in the Coupe de France final, PSG’s final three matches are little more than glorified friendlies for the Parisian club. 

So perhaps with that in mind we saw a new Neymar headband on display Saturday in PSG’s 2-1 sunny stroll past Angers. 

PSG has endured quite the torpid spell in its last matches of the season. From bowing out of the Champions League to Manchester United, to losing the Coupe De France to Rennes on penalties, there hasn’t been much joy for Les Parisiens, spare eventually securing the Ligue 1 title.

The misery was compounded Tuesday as PSG traveled to Montpellier.

Neymar has officially recovered from his now annual foot injury. The Brazilian started for the first time since January 23 and appears to be in full form already, supplying a first-half assist and goal for PSG against Stade Rennes in the Coupe de France final on Saturday in Paris. 

Stephanie Frappart will become the first female Ligue 1 referee during Sunday’s match between Amiens and Strasbourg. 

After two consecutive defeats turned the narrative surrounding PSG into the sort of existential crisis that could only be penned by compatriot Jean-Paul Sartre, Kylian Mbappé’s 55-minute hat trick — taking him to 30 goals on the year and just three behind Lionel Messi in the race for the European Golden Shoe — propelled the club to a sixth Ligue 1 title in seven seasons.  

We all still know, as evidenced by his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid, that when it comes to big matches, there’s no player more decisive on the planet than Cristiano Ronaldo. However, given his current injury and focus on the Champions League, it’s safe to say that Ronaldo will not capture the European Golden Shoe this year.