In the end, a noisy night in Lyon last night. The final day of the French league season ended with a bit of a bang. OL needed only one point from their final fixture, away at Auxerre, to be sure of the title once more. It was never in doubt. We were watching the build up on Canal+ just before kick-off (the subscription satellite service has a couple of periods 'en clair' per day, ie when they broadcast unencrypted). On our cable service this often means the first minute or two of football games can be watched before the 'you are not subscribed' message flashes up and the screen goes black. Such was the case yesterday, and no sooner had I said 'what we need now is OL to score in the first 30 seconds', than Benzema had done exactly that. A minute later the free broadcast was cut.
We thus decided to venture out to sample the atmosphere in Place Bellecour, where the game was being broadcast on a giant screen. By the time we got there just after half-time, Lyon were 2-0 up, and then scored a third soon after. Suspense over, despite a late Auxerre goal. The real excitement was elsewhere. It literally rained goals in the battles for the third champions league place and against relegation. PSG won away to save themselves from the drop, sadly sending Lens (the real northern hotbed of football) down, and Marseille came from behind to win 4-3 to pip Nancy, who lost at home for the first time this season, for 3rd.
At the back of the Bellecour crowd there wasn't much excitement or atmosphere. Towards the front may have been a bit different, with flares going off as it became clear OL were going to take the 'septième titre d'affilé', but it was hard to avoid the feeling that the Lyonnais have become a bit blasé about winning the title. Even if it was been a bit more of a struggle this year than those past. OL now have a chance of their first cup & league double, with the French cup final next weekend against PSG. Ironically, the coach is widely expected to be shown the door at the end of the season whatever the result...
