Lyon, PSG, Paris FC and Reims qualified for the playoffs, Lille and Bordeaux relegated… The conclusions of the regular season

At the end of a very lively multiplex on Wednesday, the Rémoises obtained the last qualifying ticket for the D1 Arkema playoffs.

A finish full of suspense. The last day of D1 Arkema delivered its verdict, Wednesday May 8, and saw Reims validate the last available ticket for the playoffs thanks to a surprising 2-1 victory against a largely overhauled Paris Saint-Germain team. Amandine Miquel’s players join Olympique Lyonnais, PSG and Paris FC in the semi-finals, which will be played on May 11 and 12.

However at kick-off it was FC Fleury 91 which was in fourth place and was therefore virtually qualified for the playoffs set up this season in the French championship. But Fabrice Abriel’s players, who faced PSG in the Coupe de France final on Saturday (1-0 defeat), completely collapsed in the first period against Montpellier, conceding two goals on two errors from Mariam Diakité, despite the Chloé N’Gazi save on penalty. Returning in the second half having swapped their home jersey for the away jersey, the Floriacumoises scored two goals in ten minutes, before conceding a heavy strike from Léa Khelifi to put an end to their hopes (2-3 defeat).

Stade de Reims – which had long occupied fourth place during the season – took full advantage of this misstep and won 2-1 at the Stade Auguste Delaune against a Paris Saint-Germain team who had left all its frames at rest. At the end of the meeting, Amandine Miquel, the Rémoises coach, admitted that she did not “wasn’t looking to have” fourth place: “We didn’t want to prepare for the trip so as not to bring bad luck, so IHe’s appealing if a hotel in Lyon is willing to accommodate us for free… And we need a bus too! But before that, we’re going to party.”

Playoffs which start on Saturday

The D1 Arkema season therefore concludes with a top 4 made up of Olympique Lyonnais, far in front with twelve points ahead, Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC and Rémoises. All will inaugurate a new format put in place by the French Football Federation this season to add “competition until the end” in the words of Jean-Michel Aulas, president of the women’s football committee. OL, first, will face Reims, fourth, in a semi-final scheduled for Sunday May 12 at 4:45 p.m. at Groupama stadium, the highest ranked host. Same logic for PSG, second, who will face Paris FC, third, Saturday May 11 at 9 p.m. at the Parc des Princes.

The final will take place on the field of the best ranked during the regular season, Friday May 17 at 9 p.m. The losers of the two halves will play a small final, with a ticket for the Champions League play-offs at 6 p.m. the same day.

A big battle to discover the First Professional League

At the bottom of the table, Lille and Bordeaux, already relegated for several weeks, experienced their last first division meeting with honors: a 2-1 victory for the Bordelaises against a very rejuvenated Olympique Lyonnais team (18.5 years of average age) and a 1-1 draw for the Northerners against Saint-Etienne.

Strasbourg, Nantes and Olympique de Marseille are the women’s D2 teams best placed to replace them, with still three days to play to determine who will be new to the future Arkema Première Ligue, the first French professional women’s championship.