Saint-Etienne beats Bordeaux to stay in chase for 3rd place

Saint-Etienne kept the pressure on Lyon and Marseille in the race for third place with a 3-0 home win against Bordeaux in the French league on Sunday.

Right back Mathieu Debuchy scored twice late in the second half, after forward Wahbi Khazri opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 56th minute.

Later Sunday, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain needed only a draw at second-placed Lille to seal the eighth French title in its history.

Lille remains well placed to finish second and qualify automatically for next season’s Champions League. But third spot — which brings a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds — is more open.

Saint-Etienne is two points ahead of fifth-placed Marseille and three behind third-placed Lyon, with six games left following this weekend.

In Sunday’s other matches, veteran striker Souleymane Camara scored a 78th-minute winner as sixth-placed Montpellier beat Toulouse 2-1.

It was only the second league goal of the season for the 36-year-old Camara, who joined Montpellier in 2007.

Rennes is 10th after hitting the woodwork three times in a 0-0 home draw with eighth-placed Nice.

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PEPE AWAY

Lille president Gerard Lopez says top scorer Nicolas Pepe will be sold next season.

The 23-year-old Pepe is among the most highly rated forwards in Europe and his transfer value is estimated at more than 50 million euros ($57 million).

“Four or five players will leave this summer. Nicolas Pepe’s departure is certain,” Lopez told French soccer show Telefoot on Sunday. “He’s entering a price (salary) range we can no longer pay. He will have a lot of choices.”