Toulouse snatches safety late as Gazelec, Reims go down

Down a goal with 12 minutes to go and facing near-certain relegation after Reims' stunning 4-1 victory over Lyon, Toulouse rescued its season by scoring twice late to top Angers 3-2 in Ligue 1's thrilling finale Saturday.

Danish international Martin Braithwaite nullified his first-half penalty miss by scoring in the 78th minute to level matters. Then Yann Bodiger etched his name in Les Pitchouns history with an acute-angled free-kick finish two minutes later.

While TFC players and supporters alike were elated at their fortune, Reims and Gazelec Ajaccio will feel aggrieved at the drop to Ligue 2.

The Champagne club was well on its way before Bodiger's winner flipped the script, drubbing second-place Lyon 4-1 at the Stade Auguste Delaune II courtesy of goals from Aissa Mandi, Diego, Atila Turan, and Grejohn Kyel.

Reims began Week 38 in 19th, one point adrift of Gazelec and needing to vault the Corsican minnow while hoping that Toulouse also dropped points. Instead, there was no luck for caretaker boss David Guion and his lot.

Gazelec sealed its fate with a 1-0 defeat at Lorient courtesy of Benjamin Moukandjo's 13th goal of the season.

It's heartbreak for the Gaz, which was one of Ligue 1's most compelling stories this season. A ragtag collection of past-their-prime and overlooked players blended defensive impetus with old fashioned piss and vinegar to shock some of the league's bigger fish, with Roderic Filippi particularly emblematic of the club.

Without a victory in its first ten league matches, Gaz won four of its next five and went unbeaten in 10 to storm up the Ligue 1 table. The third in size of three Corsican clubs behind AC Ajaccio and Bastia, very little was expected of Le Bistrot - and Thierry Laurey's lot ultimately met those expectations at the end of the 2015-16 season.