Lyon finish perfect as PSG book berth
Sunday, May 29, 2011
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New European champions Olympique Lyonnais ended their French league campaign with a perfect record while Paris Saint-Germain FC dramatically earned a continental debut next season.
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UEFA Women's Champions League winners Olympique Lyonnais capped a memorable week by ending Division 1 Féminine with a perfect record while Paris Saint-Germain FC ensured a European debut for next season.
Lyon, who beat 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 2-0 in London on Thursday to become France's first female European club champions, had long clinched a fifth straight domestic title and won all 21 of their league games prior to this afternoon's concluding fixtures. They always looked favourite to make it 22 at lowly Toulouse FC and duly obliged, taking their goal tally for the season to 106 with a 5-1 victory which relegated their hosts.
Giving Ingvild Stensland her first game of 2011 following a back injury, Lyon were four up by the break thanks to two Lotta Schelin goals and strikes from UEFA Women's Champions League final scorer Lara Dickenmann and the player of the match against Potsdam, Camille Abily.
Schelin's replacement, Sandrine Brétigny, added another in the 55th minute, elevating her league tally to 19. However, she was pipped by one goal to the honour of finishing as the division's top scorer by Laëtitia Tonazzi, who struck twice in FCF Juvisy Essonne's 2-1 win at FCF Hénin-Beaumont.
Juvisy − UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finalists this campaign − could finish no higher than fourth, though, and PSG will instead take their place alongside Lyon in the round of 32 next term. The capital club welcomed Montpellier Hérault SC needing a win to overtake their opponents for second position and Sabrina Delannoy's penalty two minutes from time, after Élise Bussaglia was fouled by Hoda Lattaf, gave PSG a 1-0 triumph.