“Top Performers and Flops in Ligue 1: Mbappé Shines While Nantes and Marseille Struggle”

The tops

Who else but him? If PSG won a victory which almost gave them their 11th French championship title in Auxerre, it was to Kylian Mbappé that they owe it. A high-class double in the space of just two minutes from the Bondynois launched Paris on the road to success, even if Christophe Galtier’s men suffered at the end. And it also allows him to respond to Alexandre Lacazette, scorer with Lyon against Monaco on Friday, taking two steps ahead of the Lyonnais at the top of the scoring charts. A good Sunday at work for the Parisian striker…

• Brest, from hell to paradise

It was finally a victory in the image of their season. Brest got off to a bad start before winning against Clermont (2-1). As it seemed promised to the hell of Ligue 2 before a final sprint of madness to ensure its maintenance. The Bretons were last in October after a heavy defeat in Nantes (4-1) and then remained on a series of eight matches without success, including six losses. Slowly but surely, they have reversed the situation, especially since the arrival of Eric Roy as coach in January. With the supreme reward, a fifth consecutive season in the elite next year, the second longest series in the history of the club. Hat.

There are definitely a lot of things he still needs to improve. But Rayan Cherki is nonetheless a player apart, the kind of those who alone justify buying a ticket to go to the stadium. The Lyon nugget showed it during the victory against Monaco (3-1). Author of a “zidanesque” roulette at the origin of the second goal of Les Gones, Cherki scored the third after an individual feat that says everything about his talent. A show to the delight of Groupama Stadium. And fans of these “chills” players who make the crowds vibrate.

The Sang-et-Or are not only the beautiful story of the Ligue 1 season. Its victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the heart of winter had given the first signs of it, and recent weeks confirm it: this Racing Club de Lens has a lot of character. For the second game in a row, Franck Heise’s men were led in the first period. And in a mentally taxing final sprint, they, like against Reims nine days earlier, managed to reverse the situation to win at Lorient (1-3). Symbol of this resilience, Florian Sotoca revived his team by equalizing, his first goal since the beginning of October. Second place is more than ever reaching out to the Lensois.

Les flops

• Nantes and the players “who are afraid”

FC Nantes has plunged back into its failings against Montpellier. Rolled by the MHSC in front of its Beaujoire stadium (0-3), the FCN, 17th, worsened its situation two days before the end of the championship. After the meeting, Pierre Aristouy, the technician from Nantes, repeated his desire to get out of it but pointed out a problem: his players are not all able to carry out the rescue mission. “Do not put all the players in the same box. Some are downed and that’s pretty positive after a score like this. And there are others who are afraid. That’s a problem“, noted the replacement of Antoine Kombouaré, not completely satisfied with the service as a whole.The first ones will bounce back, I’m not sure the scared ones won’t be scared next weekend.”

• Tudor, the harder the fall

Marseille probably said goodbye to third place after their loss to Lille (2-1). And more than a new crucial setback in the North of France at the end of the season, after that in Lens, the content offered by OM is cause for concern. Tactically beaten by Paulo Fonseca, the Marseille coach Igor Tudor did not have the key to the evening and seems to have lost them a little more on his group. It happened without Dimitri Payet, so convincing lately, and Nuno Tavares, punished for their lack of investment in training. “Everyone is in the same boat, the players who are ready to help the team are there tonight“The Croatian technician justified himself. An assertive or excessive character, Tudor sees the adhesion of his locker room disintegrating at the worst moment. To the point of jeopardizing his future on the Canebière according to France Bleu Provence.

• Ajaccio, can’t wait for it to end

AC Ajaccio is already condemned to play in Ligue 2 next season. After being swept away at the Parc last week (5-0), the Corsican club still took the broth against an ultra realistic Stade Rennes (0-5) like Amine Gouiri, author of a hat-trick. But the saddest part was elsewhere. On the side of the very low attendance in the Corsican enclosure, where the atmosphere was frankly deleterious. Tension has risen between Mickaël Barretto, the midfielder of the ACA, and supporters who allegedly attacked members of his family. For Ajaccio, it is really time for the ordeal to end.

Alexandre Coiquil, Loris Belin and Vincent Bregevin