PSG has won nine titles in the previous 11 seasons, dominating French football under Qatari ownership.
Paris Saint-Germain won their 11th league title on Saturday, thanks to Lionel Messi’s goal in a 1-1 draw away at Strasbourg. Messi’s opening was cancelled out by a Kevin Gameiro equalise, but the win handed PSG an unassailable four-point advantage over Lens with one game left to play. PSG surpassed Saint-Etienne’s previous record of ten trophies, which they equaled a year earlier under former coach Mauricio Pochettino.
It is PSG’s seventh title in the previous 11 seasons, during which time they have dominated French football under Qatari ownership.
“This afternoon I watched the last day of the season in the Bundesliga and you can see that it is very difficult to win the league, any league,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier told Canal Plus.
“The reigning champions in all European leagues have frequently had problems this season, so we understand what this means.”
“It is a title, and we must not believe it is normal to win, even if we are Paris Saint-Germain.”
PSG began the season’s last weekend six points ahead of nearest opponents Lens, with only six points to play for and a significantly stronger goal difference.
Even if Lens had lost, the capital side would have been crowned champions with a game to spare, but they needed the draw as their rivals cruised to a 3-0 win over already-relegated Ajaccio.
Messi set up Mbappe for PSG’s 16th Ligue 1 goal of the season just before the hour mark.
Gameiro, an ex-Paris striker, levelled with 11 minutes remaining, thumping in the rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma had saved Morgan Sanson.
The draw eventually favoured both sides since it allowed Strasbourg to secure their place in the top division.
PSG had a fantastic start to the season, being undefeated in all competitions before to the World Cup.
However, in 2023, they lost six of their first 17 league games, were ousted from the Champions League in the last 16 by Bayern Munich, and were eliminated from the French Cup at the same point.
These results fuel suspicion that Galtier, who won the title with Lille two years ago, may be replaced over the offseason.
Messi’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, thus next weekend’s encounter against Clermont at home is likely to be his last in a PSG shirt.
- Lens secures a place in the Champions League –
Lens clinched second place and a berth in next season’s Champions League group stage with a 3-0 victory over Ajaccio, with to first-half goals from Deiver Machado, Adrien Thomasson, and Lois Openda.
Openda, a Belgian striker, converted a penalty to score his 20th goal in Ligue 1 this season.
Marseille must settle for third place after losing 2-1 at home to Brest and will enter the Champions League in the third qualifying round.
Lille are in pole position to qualify for the Europa League after coming from behind to defeat Nantes 2-1 and climb to fourth place.
Quentin Merlin put relegation-threatened Nantes ahead in the far north, but Lille won thanks to two second-half penalties from Canada’s Jonathan David.
Lille are currently a point ahead of both Rennes and Monaco, who played on Saturday, with the Brittany side winning 2-0 due to goals in the second half from Lovro Majer and Amine Gouiri.
Rennes is fifth, one point ahead of Monaco on goal difference. Fifth place advances to the Europa Conference League for following season, while sixth place does not qualify for Europe at all.
Despite a 3-0 win against Reims in which Alexandre Lacazette scored his 27th Ligue 1 goal of the season, putting him only one behind Mbappe, the division’s leading marksman, Lyon’s European aspirations were practically dashed.
Nantes will head into the last weekend needing to win to escape relegation, as they now lie 17th, two points below Auxerre, who drew 1-1 at Toulouse.
Already, Angers, Ajaccio, and Troyes have been demoted. As the top division is trimmed from 20 to 18 clubs for next season, four teams drop and just two rise from Ligue 2.
Saturday also saw victories for Angers, Nice, and Clermont.
