Football: PSG wins its 11th France league title thanks to a draw against Strasbourg

Paris Saint-Germain won this Saturday, May 27 its eleventh title of champion of France, a record, without shining Saturday in Strasbourg (1-1) with a goal of Lionel Messi, a farewell gift of the Argentine genius before the club launches a new project.

With this 11th title, PSG overtakes AS Saint-Etienne, ten times champion. AFP - JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN

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At the end of a season punctuated by crises of all kinds, PSG finally won this title which allowed it to overtake AS Saint-Étienne, ten times champion. One of the hosts of this exercise worthy of a TV series, Leo Messi, signed the goal that crowns Paris, on an excellent service of his attacking partner, Kylian Mbappé.

The "Pulga", regularly whistled at the Parc des Princes since the elimination by Bayern Munich, finished on a good statistical note, 16 goals and 16 assists in L1, before the 38th and last day against Clermont, to celebrate the coronation with a public that has not completely adopted it.

Like Messi, PSG did not have to force his talent against Strasbourg who ensured his maintenance, Nantes (17th), seven lengths, can no longer catch him. Racing even equalized thanks to a former PSG, a great classic, Kevin Gameiro, scorer in two stages, taking a subtle counterfoot a powerful strike pushed away by Gianluigi Donnarumma (79th).

Coach Christophe Galtier won a second league title, two years after guiding Lille ahead of Thomas Tuchel's PSG and Mauricio Pochettino, but is not expected to stay in the new project, where Mbappé will take an even more important place. The club's emblem failed to distance OL striker Alexandre Lacazette in the race for the title of best gunner, with 28 goals against 27 for the Lyon captain before the last lift. There remains a challenge for PSG: to help its captain of one night – Marquinhos was injured – to win a fifth consecutive title of top scorer, like Jean-Pierre Papin between 1988 and 1992.

This will help spice up the title match, because on Saturday, as the draw suited both teams – Paris to be champions, Strasbourg to stay in L1 after being scared for much of the season – the 22 players did not struggle too much. PSG had two back-to-back chances, a tightrope act from Mbappé countered at the last moment (29) and a recovery from Renato Sanches paraged by Mats Sels (29), and Racing hit the post by Habib Diallo (38). The Senegalese had one more chance (70), before the equaliser, and Mbappé a last ball to regain the lead over Lacazette (85), but the last seconds ended with a harmless ten-man pass.

Alsatian fans celebrated, to celebrate the maintenance, and also celebrated one of their favorite players, Dimitri Liénard, at the end of his contract after ten years at the club, where he had arrived in National. "A decade to honor our colors," said the banner of the ultras, below a large portrait of the player on the entire stand. Very emotional when he entered the game in place of Colin Dagba (66), Liénard even had trouble stapling his armband. "It's great, I wish any young footballer to experience what I experienced with the public. I'm not the only one who had tears tonight," he told Prime Video.

On Saturday night, everyone was happy.

(With AFP)

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