Troyes relegate Strasbourg, Ajaccio, Metz

By Ron Wall May 1, 2006, 1:25 GMT

Paris - Fourth-from-bottom Troyes beat Toulouse 3-1 Sunday to condemn the bottom trio of Strasbourg, Ajaccio and Metz to second- division football next season.

Second-half goals from Sebastien Dallet, Sebastien Grax and Ziad Jaziri ensured that Troyes could not be caught by any of the bottom three and also saw off Toulouse, which had opened the score in the third minute through Laurent Batlles.

Strasbourg crashed 3-1 at home to League Cup winners Nancy, Ajaccio lost 1-0 at home to Nice, and Metz went down 1-0 at home to Sochaux.

Valenciennes, relegated in 1993 after being unwillingly dragged into the match-fixing scandal that cost Marseille a fifth-consecutive league title, have already won promotion from the second division.

Second-placed Bordeaux drew 2-2 at home with Le Mans and will clinch their place in next season's Champions League if fourth-placed Rennes fail to beat Paris St Germain Wednesday at home, when the Parisians will have had four days to get over their Cup final win Saturday over Marseille.

Bordeaux have another two games to claim the point they need to secure the runner-up spot, while Rennes must win their last three matches to overtake them.

Monaco salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Nantes when Ernesto Chevanton grabbed an 89th-minute equalizer to cancel out Aurelien Capoue's first-half strike.

Lyon celebrated their fifth straight title after Saturday night's 4-0 derby win against St Etienne, when they reached a record 81 points.

David Hellebuyck gifted Lyon a perfect start when he deflected a Sylvain Wiltord shot into his own net after eight minutes. Brazilians Fred and Juninho from the penalty spot and Benoit Pedretti scored the other goals as Lyon cruised home.

Canal Plus TV said that Bixente Lizarazu, who won 97 caps at left- back for France including the 1998 World Cup victory and European Championship in 2000, was to announce his retirement after two injury-plagued seasons with Bayern Munich.

Lizarazu, 36, has won five Bundesliga titles and one Champions League with Bayern.