PARIS (AP) — With Paris Saint-Germain already crowned champion and Marseille and Monaco assured of Champions League spots next season, Ligue 1's attention turns to the race to avoid relegation on the final matchday.
At the bottom of the standings, last-placed Montpellier has been demoted. Who joins Montpellier will be decided between Saint-Etienne and Le Havre.
Saint-Etienne dominated French soccer during the 1960s and ’70s. Having just returned to the top flight, the 10-time French champion has struggled despite brilliant individual efforts from Zuriko Davitashvili and Lucas Stassin.
Le Havre has won three French championships, the last in 1919. It has been in the top flight for two seasons and sits in the relegation playoffs spot at 16th.
Le Havre is one point ahead of Saint-Etienne, and finishes at Strasbourg on Saturday. At the same time, Saint-Etienne is home to Toulouse.
“We can win this last match and still be relegated,” Saint-Etienne coach Eirik Horneland said. "We’re going to have to create an incredible atmosphere and take the fans with us."
Two others, Reims and Nantes, have yet to secure their place in the elite. Both are two points ahead of Le Havre. Nantes hosts Montpellier, and Reims travels to Lille.
PSG striker Ousmane Dembélé is in a good position to succeed his former teammate Kylian Mbappé as the league's top scorer.
Dembélé has 21 goals, two more than Marseille’s Mason Greenwood. Behind them, Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo has 17.
Dembélé was named the league's best player of the season and was among the favorites for the Ballon d’Or. He has been prolific since PSG coach Luis Enrique repositioned him in a false nine role — a center forward who, instead of leading his team’s offensive line, drops into deeper positions.
PSG won a record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title with six games to spare, and plays its final match at home against Auxerre. Second-placed Marseille hosts Rennes. Monaco, one point behind Marseille, travels to Lens.
PSG is hoping for its first ever treble. In addition to the Champions League final against Inter Milan on May 31, Enrique’s team plays Reims in the French Cup final on May 24.
The final spot in the Champions League is the last big prize up for grabs on Saturday.
Nice, Lille, Strasbourg and Lyon all lost on the penultimate matchday and can no longer secure a top-three finish. All four are battling for fourth place and the ticket to the third preliminary round of Europe's elite tournament.
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PSG players celebrate after the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG fans cheer their team during the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Paris Saint Germain's Ousmane Dembele arrives at the UNFP (French player's union) Trophies ceremony in Paris, France, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Managerless Manchester United crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday.
At the end of a week that saw the storied Premier League team fire head coach Ruben Amorim, the loss at Old Trafford has likely consigned United to another trophyless season and was greeted with loud jeers from the home crowd.
Former United striker Danny Welbeck scored what proved the decisive goal in the 64th minute, and Benjamin Sesko's late header was only a consolation for the hosts in the third-round match.
United has exited both domestic knockout competitions at the earliest possible stage this season, following the humbling loss to fourth-tier Grimsby in the English League Cup. The latest defeat means United will play the bare minimum of 40 competitive games for a top division team this season.
Its only chance of silverware this term is the Premier League, which would require a remarkable turnaround with the 20-time champion currently seventh in the standings and 17 points behind leader Arsenal with 17 games left.
United hopes an interim coach will be able to secure Champions League qualification, with the club having spoken to former players Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick about taking on the role until the end of the season. Youth coach Darren Fletcher, who has taken charge of the two games since Amorim's departure, is also a contender, as well as former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The loss to Brighton underlined the job facing the interim coach.
Brajan Gruda fired the visitors ahead in the 12th, with Welbeck doubling the advantage after the break. Sesko scored his third goal in two games in the 85th, but substitute Shea Lacey was sent off four minutes later and United could not force an equalizer to take the game to extra time.
Arsenal advanced earlier Sunday with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a hat trick in a 4-1 win at Portsmouth.
Martinelli's treble helped the Premier League leader come back from going a goal down to the second-tier Championship team inside three minutes.
Colby Bishop stunned Arsenal with the opening goal at Fratton Park, but the lead only lasted five minutes after Andre Dozzell scored an own-goal.
Martinelli put the visitors ahead with a flicked header in the 25th. He slid in for his second six minutes after the break and headed in his hat-trick goal in the 72nd. It was the first time the Brazilian had scored a hat trick for Arsenal.
Victory could have been even more emphatic if Noni Madueke had converted from the penalty spot in the first half.
“It’s always tough to go into these places, especially in the manner that we started the game, conceding the early goal, but we managed to turn things around so I’m very happy,” said manager Mikel Arteta.
Record 14-time FA Cup winner Arsenal last lifted the trophy in Arteta’s first season in charge in 2020. It was the last major honor the London club won, but victory against Portsmouth maintains its four-pronged trophy pursuit along with the Premier League title, the Champions League and the English League Cup.
“I think we are very privileged to be where we are, and the games that we have to play, which means that we are in every competition,” Arteta said.
Top-flight Leeds was also behind to Championship opposition, but recovered from 1-0 down to beat Derby 3-1 at Pride Park.
Third-tier Mansfield pulled off an upset to beat Championship side Sheffield United 4-3 and Norwich routed Walsall 5-1, with Jovon Makama scoring a hat trick. Norwich head coach Philippe Clement later said that U.S. international Josh Sargent refused to play in the game.
Relegation-fighting West Ham needed extra time to beat QPR 2-1. Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos’ goal saw Nuno Espirito Santo’s team end a 10-match winless run.
West Bromwich Albion beat Swansea 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time. Hull won 4-3 against Blackburn on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Brighton's Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Manchester United's Matheus Cunha reacts during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli scores during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Portsmouth and Arsenal in Portsmouth, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke celebrate after a goal during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Portsmouth and Arsenal in Portsmouth, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Leeds United's James Justin scores their side's third goal of the game during the Emirates FA Cup third round match between Derby County and Leeds United, in Derby, England, Sunday Jan. 11, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)
Leeds United's Ao Tanaka, right, celebrates with Wilfried Gnonto after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Emirates FA Cup third round match between Derby County and Leeds United, in Derby, England, Sunday Jan. 11, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)
Arsenal players celebrate after a goal during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Portsmouth and Arsenal in Portsmouth, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
