Marseille were the big winners in Ligue 1’s topsy-turvy final day

Critics of Ligue 1 will deride this season as another procession to the title for Paris Saint-Germain, whose rivals were unable to sustain, or even mount, a challenge for the top spot. However, the final weekend of the season was a near-perfect microcosm of what has been a thrilling campaign up and down the table. A breathless evening of action on Saturday produced 37 goals scored across France, including 10 in the final quarter of an hour as both European spots and safety changed hands several times.

The focus of the evening was on Marseille, where the hosts – who had looked sluggish in losing to Rennes last weekend – were in danger of falling out of Champions League contention thanks to the form of Monaco. Marseille would need a win and help from Lens to pip the Principality side to second place and automatic qualification, while needing at least a point to stay above Rennes owing to the Bretons’ superior goal difference.

It did not look an easy task. Dimitri Payet and Bamba Dieng were unavailable through injury, and William Saliba, who has been a revelation all season, had to serve a one-match suspension for an accumulation of bookings. The hosts shook off those potential setbacks to thump Strasbourg – who needed a win to come fifth – 4-0. Boubacar Kamara – who has completed a move to Aston Villa – could potentially be joined out of the exit door by Saliba this summer, and questions remain around the future of Jorge Sampaoli, but coming second is an impressive achievement given they had a gruelling European campaign and were competing in the league with Rennes and Nice, who invested a lot last summer.

However, Marseille finished second because of a last-minute equaliser conceded by Monaco at Lens. Off the back of nine