Auxerre Beat Lille to Secure Ligue 1 Survival

Auxerre’s win

Sinayoko’s goals gave Auxerre a 2-0 victory, keeping them out of the relegation playoff and sending them to a third straight Ligue 1 season.

Lille Lose but qualify for Champions League as Auxerre avoid playoff...

AJ Auxerre beat Lille 2-0 on the final day of Ligue 1 to stay in the top flight. The result had no impact on Lille’s Champions League qualification, so both sides left happy.

A lot was on the line. Lille were still chasing a Champions League spot, while Auxerre needed points to avoid the relegation playoff.

Auxerre started stronger. Matias Fernandez-Pardo, recently called up to Belgium’s 2026 World Cup squad despite not having made his senior debut, forced a save from Donovan Léon. The visiting keeper then made a tougher stop to keep out Nabil Bentaleb.

Auxerre settled into the game and got their reward midway through the half. Sinaly Diomandé bundled the ball over the line after Telli Siwe’s header was kept out by a brilliant save from Berke Ozer.

That goal was ruled out for offside, but Lassine Sinayoko made no mistake a short time later. The winger struck from a tight angle and beat Ozer off the post after the keeper had saved his first shot.

Lille tried to find some rhythm at the start of the second half. Aside from Fernandez-Pardo’s volley that clipped the roof of the net, they created little. Bringing on veteran striker Olivier Giroud didn’t change much.

90’ I 0️⃣-2️⃣

𝑭𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 🔚

Le LOSC termine sa saison en s’inclinant face à l’AJ Auxerre, 2-0. Nos joueurs ont été surpris en première période par une frappe de Sinayoko, qui a marqué un second but en fin de match, et se sont heurtés à la défense adverse.

Le… pic.twitter.com/32JiuhbDIv

— LOSC (@losclive) May 17, 2026

Auxerre were content to protect their one-goal lead, and that was enough to keep them above Nice and out of the playoff spot.

In stoppage time, Sinayoko broke clear and chipped Ozer calmly to set off celebrations among the away fans.

The result worked for both teams. Lille’s 13-game unbeaten run ended, but defeats for Lyon and Rennes meant their Champions League place was still secure.

For Auxerre, it was a third win in a row, their first such run this season. That form ensures they will play in Ligue 1 again in 2026/27.