Angers promoted, Troyes relegated… Lessons from the last day

The Angevins won the second ticket for the direct climb on Friday evening.

After 38 days, the 2023-2024 Ligue 2 season has delivered its verdict. At the end of a lively multiplex, it is Angers, who will accompany the Auxerre champion in the elite next season, after their draw against Dunkirk and the defeat of the Saint-Etienne rival in Rouen.

Angers finds the elite

It was a draw that the Raymond Kopa stadium celebrated as a victory. Despite the shared points against Dunkirk (0-0), the SCO validated its second place and won the second ticket for direct promotion to Ligue 1. The Angevins will return to Ligue 1 next season, a year later having left her.

A distant rival of Alexandre Dujeux’s men in the race to climb, Saint-Etienne lost everything by stumbling on the lawn of Quevilly-Rouen (2-1), already relegated. Despite numerous opportunities in the first half (11th, 28th, 30th), the Greens lacked realism and ended up breaking down twice (63rd, 81st). The reduction of the gap on a penalty in the last minutes changed nothing. Finally third, the Stéphanois have not yet said goodbye to their dream of coming back. To do this, they will need to win a play-off played at home, then the double confrontation against the 16th in Ligue 1.

Rodez and the PFC will meet in the play-offs

In the home stretch to get through the dams, it was Rodez who performed the best. Thanks to a great start to the match, with two goals scored in the first six minutes (2nd, 6th), the Aveyronnais ensured a quiet victory against Ajaccio (2-0), and 4th place synonymous with a play-off at home.

The PFC, which was in 4th place at kick-off, did not maintain this advantage, clinging to Bastia (1-1). The Parisians, however, got off to an ideal start with Timothée Kolodziejczak’s opener (29th). But they saw the Bastiais come back from a penalty in added time of the first period, just after losing Ilan Kebbal to injury, before suffering after returning from the locker room. They will travel to the Rodez pitch for a first play-off next Tuesday.

Troyes condemned

They needed a victory to believe it. Hanging on by Annecy (1-1), the Trojans said goodbye to any hope of maintaining. After conceding the opener, Estac came back into the game thanks to the eternal Nicolas de Préville, but never managed to take the lead. With five points behind Dunkirk, the first saved, the club is condemned, whatever the decision of the disciplinary committee on the match stopped against Valenciennes. Troyes joins Concarneau, Quevilly-Rouen and Valenciennes, already mathematically relegated before kick-off.