Lille won the Ligue 1 title on Sunday thanks to a 2-1 victory at Angers which ensured they were crowned French champions for the first time since 2011.
An early Jonathan David strike and Burak Yilmaz’s penalty in first-half stoppage time ensured that Christophe Galtier’s Lille finished one point ahead of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain, who won 2-0 at Brest.
Angelo Fulgini pulled one back in added time at the end of the match, but the hosts couldn’t stop Lille becoming champions for the fourth time in their history.
“This is exceptional. It’s been a long day and a lot of pressure. To beat Paris Saint-Germain to the league title is something exceptional,” Galtier said to Canal+.
“The players were amazing … the credit goes to the players, they are the heroes.”
The title triumph came after another away success for Lille, who finish the season unbeaten on the road since November, and ends a three-year league winning streak for PSG.
It was fitting that it was David and Yilmaz who scored the crucial goals at Angers, as both have been key to an improbable run to the title that has also held significant pressure from Monaco.
Canadian young gun David latched on to a superb Renato Sanches pass to coolly slot home his 13th of the league season with nine minutes on the clock, immediately calming any nerves after last week’s disappointing draw with Saint-Etienne left them needing a win to make sure of the title.
David was the man who won the penalty that secured the points and the championship just before the break, Paul Bernardon bringing the 21-year-old down and allowing Yilmaz to score his 16th league goal of a remarkable season for the veteran Turkey striker.
Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG will have to content themselves with the French Cup in a disappointing season for the Qatari-owned club
