STRASBOURG AND AMIENS won promotion to Ligue 1 after an extraordinary final day of action in France’s second tier last night.
At the start of play, six different teams were in with a chance of claiming the title, with Strasbourg and Amiens in pole position as both clubs sought back-to-back promotions.
They each booked a place in Ligue 1, Strasbourg returning to the top division for the first time since 2008 thanks to a 2-1 home win over Bourg-en-Bresse Peronnas 01.
Kader Mangane opened the scoring and a Kevin Hoggas own goal put Thierry Laurey’s side in control inside 19 minutes, although Loic Damour made it a nervy finale for Strasbourg, who were promoted for the fourth time in six years having been demoted to the fifth tier in 2011 after entering liquidation.
Amiens started the day in second place but needed an Emmanuel Bourgaud goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time to clinch a 2-1 win at 10-man Reims, sparking jubilant scenes on the touchline as they earned promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time in the club’s history.
But that Bourgaud strike meant it was heartbreak for Troyes, who had come from two goals down to win 3-2 at Sochaux and looked on track to overhaul Amiens and claim second spot.
Troyes instead finish third and will face a play-off with Ligue 1′s third-bottom side in a bid to seal their own promotion, while Brest miss out entirely despite leading the division for much of the season.
Brest’s crushing 6-2 victory over Ajaccio proved to be in vain and they ended the season in fifth, behind Lens who won 3-1 at home to Chamois Niortais, and ahead of Nimes Olympique, who won 2-1 at relegated Stade Lavallois.
With all of the top six sealing three points on the last day of the season the clubs were split by just three points in the final table, while Auxerre secured survival at the expense of Orleans, who are relegated from Ligue 2 along with Stade Lavallois and Red Star.
