Girard happy with home finale

Montpellier coach Rene Girard said their last-gasp 1-0 win over Lille was a fitting way to finish their final home match of the season.

A solitary Karim Ait Fana strike in the closing seconds of the game was enough to bag the full three points for Montpellier, meaning they need just a draw at Auxerre in the final game of the season to claim the Ligue 1 title.

“The goal right at the end was fantastic and it crowned a magnificent season of football at home in front of our magnificent fans. There was pressure and there was tension,” Girard said.

“Now we are sure of playing in the group stage of the Champions League and we have a little challenge in front of us as we now need to go and obtain a point at Auxerre. I wasn’t expecting that at all.

“There’s a lot of pride here, I’ve got an exceptional squad. We weren’t at our best physically but we believed in ourselves and never gave up on anything. It’s amazing when you see all the fans there behind us, a whole region behind us.”

Montpellier have a three-point lead over Paris Saint-Germain with one game to go.